US 26 Night Closures in Effect; Smoke Health Advisory Continues for Jefferson County

With fires surrounding Jefferson County on multiple sides, the city of Madras has become a hub for evacuees, firefighting operations, and community relief efforts. Hundreds of firefighters are staging out of the area while local volunteers have stepped up in remarkable ways.

With eight homes and five other structures lost to the Bench Fire, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs have opened emergency shelters, organized community support efforts, and launched a wildfire recovery fund for displaced tribal members. The Warm Springs Agency District evacuation level was downgraded Thursday to Level 2.

The Bench Fire burning southwest of Warm Springs reached 64,407 acres Thursday at 22% containment. Firefighters are racing to establish containment lines near Metolius Road before anticipated Red Flag conditions arrive this weekend, while Camp Sherman faces expanded evacuations.

With the Bench Fire and multiple other blazes pumping smoke across Central Oregon, Jefferson County residents are breathing some of the smokiest air of the year. Here is a practical guide to protecting yourself and your family — especially children, the elderly, and anyone with respiratory conditions.

Jefferson County's agricultural community entered 2026 already bracing for a brutal irrigation season — reduced water allotments, a drought emergency declaration, and parched fields. Now with wildfires scorching the landscape and smoke blanketing crops, local farmers are facing one of the hardest seasons in recent memory.