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2-years ago, the destructive and massive Park Fire swept across Butte County, burning hundreds of homes. Today, we’re sharing the story and technical details of how a local homeowner and his son were able to save their home during an intense firefight on the first night of this fire, using an irrigation/firefighting system they had … Read more
A satellite image captured on the afternoon of 7/25/2026 shows large fires raging across Eastern Oregon.<br>" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/the-lookout.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-26-at-8.21.48-AM.png?fit=660%2C454&ssl=1" />
It’s crazytown in the Pacific Northwest, today. The Rowe Creek Complex and Hay Creek Complex are basically connected now, and the Brewer and Box Springs have grown into the Rowe Creek Complex. The Beachcomb/Bench Fires are trying to eat Warm Springs, and the Shingle Fire added about 70k acres, yesterday. The Grasshopper Fire, east of … Read more
Welcome back to The Lookout! We have a fresh newsletter out this morning. Be sure to subscribe to the newsletter if you’d like to get our wildfire-related reporting and other writings dropped sporadically into your inbox! Several new fires have emerged over the past 24 hours in the Pacific Northwest, and grown large quickly under … Read more
In the Pacific Northwest, numerous new wildfires have been growing since a fast-moving lightning storm moved through the region on the afternoon of July 22nd. Many of the large fires that started a week earlier have burned much of the fuel that was available to them and gone out, or been extinguished by firefighting. Despite … Read more
Akawa Butte Fire Pushes Toward Sisters as Lightning Bust Ignites New Blazes Across Oregon Date: July 22, 2026 Location: Sisters, Oregon, broader Pacific Northwest, California Last week, a volatile mix of dry fuels, hot temperatures, and fast-moving thunderstorms pushed Oregon’s fire season into high gear, with multiple large fires breaking out from the eastern slopes of … Read more
Rumsey, Chute, Biscar, East Evans Creek, Akawa Butte, and Aspen Acres in Focus By The Lookout – July 20, 2026 After a slow start in California, the state joins a wildfire season that has been well-underway across the American West. In a wide‑ranging briefing on July 20, The Lookout’s Zeke Lunder walked viewers through emerging and … Read more
Brook Fire Burnover: Vina Helitack Crew Suffers Minor Injuries in Near-Miss Entrapment On Backbone Ridge, just east of Redding, a Cal Fire Vina Helitack crew experienced a burnover yesterday on the Brook Fire during initial attack operations. Seven firefighters received minor burn injuries and were transported by helicopter to Redding, where they were treated and … Read more
Oregon and Washington Lightning Bust Spurs Dozens of Large Fires, Straining Crews from Medford to the Columbia Plateau Date: Sunday, July 19, 2026 By: The Lookout A major lightning bust across Oregon has ignited a sprawling web of fires from Southern Oregon to the Columbia Plateau, rapidly stretching firefighting resources and creating a highly volatile … Read more
Good morning, We are covering the large lightning bust that pounded Oregon in the past few days, sparking many large fires, mainly east of US Route 97, and north of US Route 20. Generally north and east of Bend. Scroll down for new maps for the Evans Creek Fire, near Medford. Lightning Fires and Recent … Read more
Here are some maps from last night’s infrared flight of the Evans Creek Fire, north of Central Point/Medford, Oregon. In the past 24 hours, the main fire backed down to the 34-3-3.2 Road on the SW. It didn’t spread much to the north. The larger spot fire to the east (Board Mtn) made a significant … Read more
Behind every dozer line on a map, every firing operation along a ridge, and every decision not to engage directly with the flames, there is a legacy of hard-learned lessons about risk, trauma, and the human cost of aggressive firefighting. A recent broadcast of The Lookout Livestream used ongoing fires in Colorado and the broader … Read more
Colorado wildfires see a welcome lull after days of explosive growth, with fire behavior moderating across the state and in neighboring regions. In this evening’s briefing, fire analyst and mapping specialist Zeke Lunder walks through a landscape that is still dangerous, but clearly less volatile than it has been during the last three broadcasts. High … Read more
Recorded July 3, 2026 – “Colorado Tactics” Lookout Livestream In this livestream, Lookout wildfire analyst and mapping specialist Zeke Lunder walks through a series of large ongoing fires in Colorado, Utah, and Arizona, using current perimeters and high‑resolution terrain models to explain what firefighters can and cannot realistically do to control wildfire burning...