Lower Dry Creek Mutual Aid Fire (OR)

Active · 5% contained · 5,000 acres · started 2026-07-14 · updated 2026-07-16

True color Fire (SWIR)

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True color (left): as the eye sees it.
Infrared / SWIR (right): sees through smoke.

🟢 green = vegetation
🟤 red/brown = burned
🟠 orange = active fire

Imagery: Sentinel-2 (Copernicus). Drag to compare smoke vs. infrared.

Heat detections: NASA FIRMS (last 48h).

Expanding at a rate of approximately 2,500 acres per day, the Lower Dry Creek Mutual Aid Fire has consumed 5,000 acres of private land just 22 miles northeast of Pendleton, near Milton-Freewater, Oregon. Over the past 48 hours, satellite sensors have identified nine distinct heat clusters, signaling significant spread across the Umatilla County landscape.

Active since July 14, 2026, the blaze is currently exhibiting extreme behavior characterized by rapid spotting through 2.5-foot tall grass. A Type 3 incident management team is overseeing 96 personnel as they work to contain the fire, which is currently 5 percent contained and has incurred $250,000 in suppression costs.