Oregon experiencing largest wildfire season since 2020
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Thirty-eight wildfires are actively burning more than 950,000 acres of land in Oregon, making the 2024 wildfire season the largest since 2020, with nearly two months of summer remaining.
While the 2024 wildfires have consumed enormous areas of land, particularly in Eastern Oregon, the fires are far less destructive than the 2020 Labor Day Fires. The 2020 fires killed 11 people and destroyed more than 4,000 homes. So far, Oregon’s 2024 fire season has caused no deaths and has destroyed 21 homes.
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The fire-heavy season has made Oregon the number one firefighting priority in the country. Close to 6,800 firefighters are working across the state to contain the fires. Oregon’s largest active wildfire is the Durkee Fire, burning 5 miles southwest of Durkee. The lightning-caused fire started on the morning of July 17 and has grown to 268,492 acres.
Director of the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute Erica Fleishman told KOIN 6 News that the area burned by wildfires in Oregon in 2024, so far, is fairly high compared to past years. However, more than 1 million acres burned in at least six other years from 1984 to 2022, she said.
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Fleishman added that it’s difficult to predict how many more acres may burn throughout the remaining summer months.
“It’s unclear whether there will be many more lightning events across the state, or whether the state will have further prolonged heat waves,” Fleishman said. “That said, fuel loads are relatively high given last winter’s precipitation — [which was] normal across much of the state — and heat waves earlier in summer, and drought is becoming more severe across much of the state. Both of the latter factors mean that an ignition may spread fairly quickly, especially in high winds.”
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