{{Short description|Wildfire season in Oregon, United States}} {{Use American English|date=May 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2017}} {{Infobox wildfire | title = 2017 Oregon wildfires | image = File:2017 August 29 MODIS West Coast.png | caption = US West Coast August 29, 2017 (satellite image). Large fires visible in the Washington and Oregon Cascades, with smoke from Oregon flowing north. | reference = | coordinates = | total_area = {{convert|451,863|acres|km2}} | total_fires = 1,069 | date= June–October, 2017 | buildings = | fatalities = | is_season = yes | year = 2017 | season_name = Oregon wildfires }} The '''2017 Oregon wildfires''' were a series of [[wildfires]] that burned over the course of 2017.

The 2017 fire season in the state of [[Oregon]] was a particularly notable one. There has been a trend for the last three decades that shows an increase in the overall number of [[wildfires]] as well as the fire season length in the state of Oregon.<ref>{{cite journal| last1=Ana|first1=Barros| last2=Alan|first2=Ager| last3=Michelle|first3=Day| last4=Haiganoush|first4=Preisler| last5=Thomas|first5=Spies| last6=Eric|first6=White| last7=Robert|first7=Pabst| last8=Keith|first8=Olsen| last9=Emily|first9=Platt| last10=John|first10=Bailey| last11=John|first11=Bolte| title=Spatiotemporal dynamics of simulated wildfire, forest management, and forest succession in central Oregon, USA| journal=Ecology and Society| date=24 February 2017| volume=22| issue=1|article-number=art24 | doi=10.5751/ES-08917-220124| url=https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol22/iss1/art24/| language=en| issn=1708-3087| doi-access=free}}</ref> In 2017 Oregon experienced a total of 1,069 reported wildfires: with 779 human ignited and 290 ignited by lightning strikes.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|title=Oregon Department of Forestry - Daily Fire Statistics|url=http://www.odf.state.or.us/DIVISIONS/protection/fire_protection/fires/dailyFireReps.asp|website=www.odf.state.or.us|language=en}}</ref> These fires burned a total area of 451,863 acres.<ref>{{cite web| title=OREGON Incidents| url=https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/state/38/0/| website=[[InciWeb]], Incident Information System| access-date=December 11, 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171209152258/https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/state/38/0/| archive-date=December 9, 2017| url-status=dead}}</ref> The catalyst for these fires was the abnormal weather patterns that persisted throughout 2017.

Fire season typically begins in Oregon in May.<ref name=OPB/> Fires burning through September 2017 led to the month being dubbed "Smoketember" in Oregon,<ref>{{cite news |date=August 31, 2017 |title=Smoketember in Oregon: Smoke shrouding Beaver State visible from space |url=http://kpic.com/news/local/gallery/smoketember-in-oregon-smoke-shrouding-beaver-state-visible-from-space#photo-5 |work=KVAL |accessdate=September 20, 2017}}</ref> with air quality in western Oregon listed from "Unhealthy" to "Hazardous" in early weeks. [[NASA]] published images of the Oregon, shown the typically green state to be highly obscured by smoke, as seen from space.<ref>{{cite news |date=July 31, 2017 |title=Smoke Obscures Much of the Pacific Northwest |url=https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2017/smoke-obscures-much-of-the-pacific-northwest |work=NASA |accessdate=September 20, 2017}}</ref> 2017 was unusual for the large number of fires occurring west of the Cascade Range in dense Douglas-fir forest in contrast to the frequent-fire pine ecosystems to the east.

Large fires include the [[Chetco Bar Fire]] in [[Curry County, Oregon]], and the [[Eagle Creek Fire]] in the [[Columbia River Gorge]] [[National Scenic Area (United States)|National Scenic Area]], which was started by illegal fireworks use.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.opb.org/news/article/eagle-creek-fire-witness-teenagers-fireworks/|title=Eagle Creek Fire Witness: Young Hikers Giggled As Firecracker Descended Into Gorge Canyon|last=Wilson|first=Anna Griffin {{!}} Conrad|website=www.opb.org|language=en|access-date=2017-09-06}}</ref> Fires in the Columbia River Gorge shut down [[Interstate 84 in Oregon|Interstate 84]], the state's major east–west freeway, for several days in early September.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ryan |first=Jim |date=September 13, 2017 |title=Columbia gorge fire now 13% contained; I-84 in Oregon remains closed |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/wildfires/index.ssf/2017/09/eagle_creek_fire_size_containm.html |work=The Oregonian |accessdate=September 14, 2017}}</ref>

== Background == {{Further|List of Oregon wildfires}} "Fire season" in Oregon typically begins in mid-May and ends with the first rains that normally begins in late September. [[Drought]], [[snowpack]] levels, and local weather conditions play a role in Oregon's fire season, particularly in [[Eastern Oregon|Eastern]] and Southwest Oregon. During peak fire season from July to September, most wildfires are caused by [[lightning]], while ignitions in the early and later parts of the season are related to humans. Warm, dry conditions in summer heighten the wildfire risk. After over 100 years of fire suppression and prevention of all fires, there is now an abundance of fuel. [[Climate change]] is leading to a reduced snowpack with an earlier and reduced [[snowmelt]], so there is a higher risk for areas that receive wildfires.<ref>{{cite web |title=Oregon Fire Season: In-Depth Guide |url=https://wfca.com/wildfire-articles/oregon-fire-season/ |website=wfca.com |date=February 23, 2023 |publisher=Western Fire Chiefs Association |access-date=June 7, 2025}}</ref>

== 2017 climate in Oregon == The 2016/2017 winter in Oregon was the second wettest winter in the past 75 years. Between October 1, 2016, and April 26, 2017, [[Portland International Airport]] received 45.5 inches (116 centimeters) of rain. The month of February 2017 was the wettest February on record in Oregon with 10.36 inches (26 centimeters) of rain.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Le|first1=Phuong|last2=Flaccus|first2=Gillian|title=Portland Close To Breaking Rain Record, While Seattle Crushes Its Record|url=https://www.opb.org/news/article/portland-oregon-seattle-rain-rainfall-2017-winter/|website=www.opb.org|publisher=OPB|language=en|access-date=December 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171210015612/https://www.opb.org/news/article/portland-oregon-seattle-rain-rainfall-2017-winter/|archive-date=December 10, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> During the month of August, the weather station at Portland International Airport recorded a monthly average temperature of 73.6 degrees Fahrenheit (23.1 C) with the daily average temperature hitting 87 degrees Fahrenheit (30.5 C). The average temperature during the month of August 2017 was five degrees higher than the average August temperature recorded since 1941. It stands to be the second hottest August on record.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ryan|first1=Jim|title=August is hottest on record at PDX; more on way for Labor Day|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/weather/index.ssf/2017/09/august_was_the_hottest_on_reco.html|website=OregonLive.com|date=September 2, 2017 |publisher=Oregonian}}</ref>

The extreme winter and summer weather that occurred in 2017 was met by some dangerous weather patterns in the late summer months. Early August through September in Southern Oregon saw several waves of thunderstorms. These storm systems brought rainfall which helped slow the growth of existing wildfires. However, the storms also brought lighting which resulted in the ignition of new fires. These storms travel on fast moving paths. After one these storms moves over an area, it quickly returns to a hot dry state. This allows for the newly ignited fires to spread quickly and develop into full wildfires.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Manning|first1=Jeff|title=Changing weather aids firefighters, but for how long?|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/wildfires/index.ssf/2017/09/changing_weather_aids_firefigh.html|website=OregonLive.com|date=September 9, 2017 |publisher=Oregonian}}</ref>

==Significance of the 2017 fire season== The future climate in the [[Pacific Northwest]] is expected to be significantly different. Projections show that annual temperatures will rise faster than the global norm. Although temperatures will be higher, winters are expected to experience more rainfall.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Mote|first1=Philip W.|last2=Salathé|first2=Eric P.|title=Future climate in the Pacific Northwest|journal=Climatic Change|date=18 May 2010|volume=102|issue=1–2|pages=29–50|doi=10.1007/s10584-010-9848-z|bibcode=2010ClCh..102...29M |url=https://digital.lib.washington.edu:443/researchworks/bitstream/1773/38415/1/2009-1.pdf|hdl=1773/34591|s2cid=31296790 |hdl-access=free}}</ref> These seasonal extremes are exactly the type of trends that were experienced in 2017. Climatic patterns such as these provide ample rainfall throughout the spring which allows for high rates of plant growth. The high temperatures in the summer then quickly dries up the new growth. This leads to large spread availability of dry grasses and small diameter fuels. The combination of these climate driven phenomenon are what led to the extreme fire season in Oregon in 2017.

==Cheatgrass== Another problem plaguing Oregon in 2017 was invasive [[cheatgrass]]. This grass has its origins in Eurasia and has become a huge problem in Oregon. In burned areas this grass quickly replaces native vegetation such as [[sagebrush]]. Cheatgrass is especially dangerous in regards to wildfires because it is highly dependent on water and typically dries out a month before native Oregon grasses. The high rainfall in 2017 allowed cheatgrass to spread abundantly throughout eastern Oregon. In areas that have cheatgrass, fire seasons have essentially been lengthened by a month due to the sooner availability of fuel.<ref>{{cite web| last1=Hamway|first1=Stephen| title=Cheatgrass returns to Central Oregon| url=http://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/5381477-151/cheatgrass-returns-to-central-oregon| website=bendbulletin.com|date=June 21, 2017 |publisher=The Bulletin}}</ref> Due to its ability to both cause fires and repopulate burned areas cheatgrass is in a positive feedback loop of continual dispersal.<ref>{{cite web| last1=Coates|first1=Peter| title=Excess wildfire, cheatgrass affecting sage-grouse; targeted actions needed {{!}} News and Research Communications {{!}} Oregon State University| url=http://oregonstate.edu/ua/ncs/archives/2016/oct/excess-wildfire-cheatgrass-affecting-sage-grouse-targeted-actions-needed| website=oregonstate.edu|language=en}}</ref>

==Human-ignited fires== [[File:Three hikers observe damage from Eagle Creek fire in May 2023.png|thumb|right|Three hikers observe damage from the Eagle Creek Fire in May 2023]]

Oregon’s population has been in a steady state of growth for the last three decades.<ref>{{cite web|title=POPULATION FORECASTS BY AGE AND SEX|url=http://www.oregon.gov/das/OEA/Documents/appendixc.pdf|website=Oregon.gov}}</ref> With higher populations comes higher risk of human ignited forest fires. 2017 saw the devastating effects of human influenced fires. [[Eagle Creek Fire|The Eagle Creek Fire]] burned 48,831 acres of land. This fire was ignited by a smoke bomb carelessly thrown by a 15-year-old boy.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Brettman|first1=Allan|title=Charges filed against 15-year-old boy in Eagle Creek fire|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/wildfires/index.ssf/2017/10/charges_filed_against_15-year-.html|website=OregonLive.com|date=October 19, 2017 |publisher=Oregonian}}</ref> Something as simple as the exhaust pipe of a car or a cigarette out of a car window can start a devastating fire.

== Wildfires == The following is a list of wildfires that burned more than {{convert|1000|acre}}, or produced significant structural damage or loss of life {| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;" |- ! Name ! National Forest<!-- of origin--> ! Acres Burned ! Start date ! Containment Date{{Efn|Containment means that fire crews have established and secured control lines around the fire's perimeter. These lines are artificial barriers, like trenches or cleared vegetation, designed to stop the fire's spread, or natural barriers like rivers. Containment reflects progress in managing the fire but does not necessarily mean the fire is starved of fuel, under control, or put out.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=[[KCAL-TV]]|location=Los Angeles|title=What containment and other wildfire related terms mean|date=September 12, 2024|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/what-does-containment-mean-wildfire-evacuation-warning-order-red-flag/|access-date=2025-07-25}}</ref>}} ! Notes !class="unsortable"|Ref |- |[[Milli Fire]]||[[Deschutes National Forest]]||{{yes2|24,079}}||August 11, 2017||September 24, 2017|| Cause:Lighting ||<ref>{{cite web|url=https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5517/|title=The Milli Fire is 100% contained|website=Inciweb.nwcg.com|accessdate=21 December 2017}}</ref> |- |[[Cinder Butte Fire]]||[[Bureau of Land Management]]||{{yes2|52,462}}||August 2, 2017||August 10, 2017|| Cause:Unknown/Man caused ||<ref>{{cite web|url=https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5463/|title=Cinder Butte Fire : INCIDENT UPDATED 8/8/2017|website=Inciweb.nwcg.com|accessdate=21 December 2017}}</ref> |- |Desolation Fire||[[Ochoco National Forest]]||{{yes2|4,512}}||September 9, 2017||Unknown||Cause:Lightning holdover fire ||<ref>{{cite web|url=https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5610/|title=EVACUATION LEVEL LOWERED FOR THE DESOLATION FIRE|website=Inciweb.nwcg.com|accessdate=21 December 2017}}</ref> |- |[[High Cascades Complex]]||[[Rogue River–Siskiyou National Forest]] [[Fremont–Winema National Forest]] [[Umpqua National Forest]] [[Crater Lake National Park]]||{{yes2|27,476}}||August 13, 2017||approx. October 15, 2017||Cause:Lighting/Natural||<ref>{{cite web|url=https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5503/|title=High Cascade Complex : INCIDENT UPDATED 10/4/2017|website=Inciweb.nwcg.com|accessdate=21 December 2017}}</ref> |- |Horse Creek Complex||[[Willamette National Forest]]||{{yes2|42,489}}||August 10, 2017||approx. September 27, 2017||Cause:Lighting||<ref>{{cite web|url=https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5523/|title=Horse Creek Complex : INCIDENT UPDATED 6 DAYS AGO|website=Inciweb.nwcg.com|accessdate=21 December 2017}}</ref> |- |Staley Fire||[[Willamette National Forest]]||{{yes2|2,300}}|| August 9, 2017||approx. December 1, 2017||Cause:Lighting||<ref>{{cite web|url=https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5512/|title=Staley Fire : INCIDENT UPDATED 10/16/2017|website=Inciweb.nwcg.com|accessdate=21 December 2017}}</ref> |- |[[Jones Fire]]||[[Willamette National Forest]]||{{yes2|10,114}}|| August 10, 2017||approx. October 14, 2017 ||Cause:Lightning/Natural||<ref>{{cite web|url=https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5494/|title=Jones Fire : INCIDENT UPDATED 10/16/2017|website=Inciweb.nwcg.com|accessdate=21 December 2017|archive-date=December 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171209152256/https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5494/|url-status=dead}}</ref> |- |[[Whitewater Fire]]||[[Willamette National Forest]]||{{yes2|14,451}}||July 23, 2017|| October 31, 2017 ||Cause:Lightning/Natural||<ref>{{cite web|url=https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5420/|title=Whitewater Fire : INCIDENT UPDATED 12/8/2017|website=Inciweb.nwcg.com|accessdate=21 December 2017}}</ref> |- |Umpqua North Complex||Umpqua National Forest||{{yes2|43,158}}||August 11, 2017||approx. October 30, 2017 ||Cause:Unknown||<ref>{{cite web|url=https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5505/|title=Umpqua North Complex : INCIDENT UPDATED 10/16/2017|website=Inciweb.nwcg.com|accessdate=21 December 2017}}</ref> |- |Falcon Complex||[[Umpqua National Forest]]||{{yes2|2,935}}||August 8, 2017||September 15, 2017||Cause:Lightning/Natural||<ref>{{cite web|url=https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5484/|title=Falcon Complex : INCIDENT UPDATED 10/16/2017|website=Inciweb.nwcg.com|accessdate=21 December 2017}}</ref> |- |[[Chetco Bar Fire]]||[[Rogue River–Siskiyou National Forest]]||{{yes2|191,125}}||July 12, 2017||November 2, 2017||Cause:Lightning, 8th largest fire in Oregon’s recorded history|| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5385/|title=Chetco Bar Fire : INCIDENT UPDATED 11/4/2017|website=Inciweb.nwcg.com|accessdate=21 December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/wildfires/index.ssf/2017/09/the_worst_wildfires_in_oregon.html|title=The worst wildfires in Oregon history: How does Eagle Creek compare?|website=Oregonlive.com|date=September 8, 2017 |accessdate=December 21, 2017}}</ref> |- |Miller Complex||[[Rogue River–Siskiyou National Forest]]||{{yes2|39,715}}||August 14, 2017||November 9, 2017||Cause:Lightning ||<ref>{{cite web|url=https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5514/|title=Miller Complex : INCIDENT UPDATED 11/9/2017|website=Inciweb.nwcg.com|accessdate=21 December 2017}}</ref> |- |[[Eagle Creek Fire]]||[[Columbia River Gorge|Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area]]||{{yes2|48,831}}||September 2, 2017||November 30, 2017||Cause:Human||<ref>{{cite web|url=https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5584/|title=Eagle Creek Fire : INCIDENT UPDATED 22 HRS. AGO|website=Inciweb.nwcg.com|accessdate=21 December 2017|archive-date=December 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171211044141/https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5584/|url-status=dead}}</ref> |}

Others fires include:<ref>{{cite news |last=Terry |first=Lynne |date=July 31, 2017 |title=Wildfires scattered around Oregon |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2017/07/wildfires_scattered_around_ore.html |work=Oregon Live |accessdate=September 6, 2017}}</ref> * Ana Fire * Blanket Creek Fire * Indian Creek Fire * Upper Mine Fire * Horse Prairie Fire – [[Douglas County, Oregon]] * Jade Creek Fire – [[Fremont–Winema National Forest]] * Potato Hill Fire – [[Willamette National Forest]] * [[Nash Fire]] – [[Willamette National Forest]] and [[Deschutes National Forest]] * North Pelican Fire – [[Fremont-Winema National Forest]]

==Fires on ODF land== The majority of the burned area within [[Oregon Department of Forestry|Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF)]] held land occurred within the SOA fire region which includes the districts: Southwest, Coos, Douglas, South Cascade, and Western Lane. The SOA fire region experienced 38,384.33 acres of burned land. The EOA fire region had the second highest amount of burned area and includes the fire districts of: Central Oregon, Northeast Oregon, Klamath- Lake, and Walker Range. This fire region experienced a total of 4,992.6 acres of burned land. The NOA saw the least amount of area burned but still had 151 individual fires ignited within the region. The NOA fire region includes the fire districts of: Tillamook, Astoria, Forest Grove, West Oregon, and North Cascade. The fires in this region accounted for a total of 2168.88 acres of burned land. In 2017 the Oregon Department of Forestry had 45,681.5 acres of land burned in their forests.<ref name="auto"/> ==Notes== {{notelist}}

==References== {{Reflist|refs=

<ref name=OPB> {{citation|title=It's Raining, But Wildfire Season Is Starting In Washington|author=Kristian Foden-Vencil |publisher=[[Oregon Public Broadcasting]] | date=April 14, 2017|url=http://www.opb.org/news/article/washington-wildfire-season-start-2017/}}</ref>

}}

==External links== {{Commons category}} * [http://projects.oregonlive.com/wildfires/map#6/44.190/-120.700 Wildfire tracker] from ''[[The Oregonian]]''

{{2017 American wildfires}} {{Oregon wildfires}}

[[Category:2017 Oregon wildfires| ]] [[Category:Wildfires in Oregon by year]]