White Buffalos Kick Off Fall Season With New League Horizon on the Horizon

The Round Butte Fire that ignited August 1 and burned more than 1,200 acres in Jefferson County — triggering Level 3 evacuations and days of choking smoke — is now largely contained. But for residents who evacuated and ranchers who lost fencing and grazing land, the recovery work is just beginning.

After one of Oregon’s worst drought years on record — with Jefferson County at 94 percent severe drought coverage and reduced water allotments from the North Unit Irrigation District — farmers across the county are navigating a late-summer harvest under smoke-filled skies and tighter-than-ever margins.

When wildfire smoke descended on the Warm Springs community in late July, Oregon State University Extension Service workers scrambled to get box fan air-filter kits and N95 masks into residents’ hands — a grassroots response that illustrates the network of support Central Oregon communities have leaned on during a brutal 2026 fire season.

Oregon DEQ extended an air quality advisory through at least Friday, August 28 for Jefferson, northern Crook and southern Wasco counties as wildfire smoke continues to blanket the region. Residents are urged to limit outdoor exposure and check airnow.gov for real-time conditions.

The Madras High School White Buffaloes are back on the field and court as the fall 2026 sports season kicks off, with football, volleyball, cross country, and soccer teams all suiting up for the new school year.