A new wildfire that ignited just after midnight Thursday is burning approximately 11 miles northeast of Madras, forcing residents from their homes and prompting the closure of US Highway 97 as emergency crews battle the fast-moving Ten Mile Fire near Baker Canyon.

Evacuation Orders in Effect

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office issued Level 3 “Go Now” evacuation orders Thursday afternoon covering a broad swath of land on the eastern side of NE 12th Street — from NE Coleman Road west to Highway 97, extending south to Lyle Gap. Residents in that zone were ordered to leave immediately with no time to gather belongings.

A bilingual emergency alert was broadcast to area phones in English and Spanish, underscoring the urgency of the situation. Officials with the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office also issued Level 3 orders on their side of the Jefferson-Wasco county line, with the order running from the Wasco/Jefferson County border on Highway 97 to the Antelope Highway/Highway 97 intersection, to Milepost 3 on Highway 293.

Highway 97 Closed

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) closed US 97 northeast of Madras Thursday due to fire activity crossing or threatening the highway corridor. Motorists are urged to seek alternate routes and monitor TripCheck.com for road condition updates before traveling.

A Region Already Under Fire Pressure

The Ten Mile Fire broke out during a period of extreme fire activity across Jefferson and surrounding counties. Central Oregon’s dispatch center confirmed that firefighters responded to 24 separate wildfire starts on Wednesday alone, with more than 2,000 lightning strikes recorded across the region in just 72 hours following Thursday night’s thunderstorm activity.

The Brewer Fire, which has been burning since mid-July approximately 11.5 miles east of Madras near Brewer Reservoir spanning Crook and Jefferson counties, had grown to nearly 28,000 acres with 0% containment as of Thursday evening. To the west, the Box Springs Fire continued to push toward the Crosswhite Fire, with officials warning the two blazes could soon merge.

Air Quality Remains Hazardous

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has extended a smoke advisory for Jefferson County through at least Friday afternoon, July 25. Air quality is rated Unhealthy to Very Unhealthy across much of the region. Residents — especially those with respiratory conditions, the elderly, and children — are advised to stay indoors, keep windows closed, and use air purifiers where available.

Protective Actions Residents Should Take Now

  • If you are in an evacuation zone, leave immediately — do not wait.
  • Check the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page and jeffco.net for zone updates.
  • Keep N95 masks available for any necessary outdoor activity.
  • Have a go-bag ready: documents, medications, water, and phone charger.
  • Bring livestock and pets if evacuating.
  • Do not return to evacuated areas until officials give the all-clear.

A community briefing on the Prineville-area fires — including the Brewer, Box Springs, Coyote, Henry, Pilot, Conant, and Crooked fires — is scheduled for Friday, July 25 at 6:00 p.m. at Carey Foster Hall at the Crook County Fairgrounds. Incident commanders and local officials will provide a 30-minute operational update followed by a public Q&A session.

Residents seeking real-time fire perimeter maps and evacuation zones can visit jeffco.net, centraloregonfire.org, or the Watch Duty app. For road closures, check TripCheck.com.