The Grasshopper Fire has ballooned to nearly 37 square miles in eastern Oregon, forcing firefighters to defend communities around the Mount Hood National Forest while evacuation orders remain in place. The blaze reached 23,672 acres by Friday afternoon, with no containment reported and a community meeting scheduled for later that evening.
A noon fire update reported by Gorge News Center put the firefighting force at 423 personnel and said the meeting would begin Friday at 6 p.m. at the South Wasco County High School cafeteria in Maupin. Incident officials are expected to discuss fire activity, suppression work, evacuation information and planned operations before taking questions.
The fire grew by more than 2,500 acres overnight, according to KOIN. It was sparked by lightning on July 23 and is burning through grass and brush at lower elevations, with ponderosa and mixed-conifer timber carrying the fire higher in the Mount Hood National Forest.
Crews Focus On Lines Near Flag Point And Pine Hollow
Firefighters are concentrating on strengthening the southern perimeter, while crews on the northern edge prepare Forest Road 2720 and build an indirect handline toward Flag Point. Crews are also mopping up and patrolling the western flank and working to secure the Badger Creek and Tygh Creek areas on the east, the county fire update said.
Wasco County has active Level 3 “Go Now” evacuation notices affecting the Grasshopper advisory zone, Jordan Butte, Forest Road 27, Sportsman Park, Pine Hollow and Wamic, with Level 2 and Level 1 zones extending into surrounding communities. Warmer, drier weather was expected Friday, with temperatures reaching 78 to 90 degrees and humidity dropping as low as the upper teens in lower elevations.
Forest Closure And Trail Warnings Remain In Effect
A closure order remains in effect around the fire on the Mount Hood National Forest, and a temporary flight restriction bars unauthorized drones from the incident area. The U.S. Forest Service warns that aircraft operations can be disrupted by drones, creating an added hazard for crews and potentially suspending aerial firefighting.
The Pacific Crest Trail remains open near the fire, but the Pacific Crest Trail Association is urging hikers to use caution because the fire has grown quickly and conditions can change. The meeting in Maupin offers residents a chance to hear directly from incident managers as evacuation zones and fire behavior continue to shift.
The Grasshopper Fire is part of a brutal Pacific Northwest fire season. A KPTV report citing Northwest Interagency Coordination Center data said more than 1.3 million acres had burned across Oregon and Washington by July 26, with dry lightning and abnormally dry vegetation helping fires expand rapidly.
