UPDATE: Lower Dry Creek Fire burns almost 16,000 acres
Published 2:12 pm Thursday, July 16, 2026
WESTON — The Lower Dry Creek Fire near Weston has burned 15,878.5 acres, according to Watch Duty’s preliminary fire perimeter.
The fire, which restarted Wednesday afternoon, July 15, after a vegetation fire the day before, was estimated at about 5,000 acres Wednesday evening.
Residents can find official information pertaining to the Lower Dry Creek Fire, which is under mutual aid, on a dedicated Facebook account as of Thursday, July 16. Gov. Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act on Wednesday night, July 16. The decision marks the third time the act has been invoked in 2026.
The account is managed and updated by the Oregon Department of State Fire Marshal Red Incident Management Team. Steve Chapman, operations section chief, posted a video update to the account Thursday afternoon.
He said his team arrived on site at 6:30 a.m. and had two task forces relieve local firefighters and landowners who were fighting the fire since it picked up Wednesday afternoon. The teams are conducting “critical infrastructure protection, structure protection and putting in line where needed.”
The partners on site have “done a great job” the last two days fighting the fire, Chapman said. He added more task forces are on their way and he hopes to maintain the fire’s current perimeter.
After Watch Duty updated its preliminary perimeter, the Lower Dry Creek Facebook page said the team is “currently working on updating maps and acreage but the numbers are preliminary. Those changes are being captured in Watch Duty. A more accurate acreage will be shared after IR flights are completed.”
Residents in the town of Weston are under “go now” evacuation orders, as are those in the surrounding areas, up to the southern edge of Milton-Freewater. Evacuation information will also be available through the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.
Power is deenergized in much of the area, and fiber internet is down due to burned poles.