SISTERS, Ore. (August 27, 2025) — The Flat Fire, burning approximately two miles northeast of Sisters, Oregon, is estimated at 23,261 acres and is 7% contained.
Thunderstorm activity today brought erratic, gusty winds and lightning across the fire area. On the northern edge of the fire, mop-up reached up to 100 feet in. On the eastern edge of the fire, crews continued securing line and mopping-up. Crews worked to complete a major hose lay project along dozer line in the southeastern area and expect to have it finished before night crews take over. Firefighters working in the Whychus Creek Canyon worked through steep terrain to mop-up up 150 feet in, as structure crews went house to house, extinguishing hot spots along the Canyon rim.
In the Mountain View Road area, wildland and structural resources worked side by side to coordinate mop-up 150 feet out from homes. Fallers worked along Wilt Road to remove snags to open-up access to the interior of the fire, helping firefighters to safely expand mop-up. Crews along the western perimeter pushed mop-up to several hundred feet inside. Minimal fire activity along the northwest edge allowed resources to be shifted to areas needing additional help.
Firefighters are expected to have moderate conditions overnight as they work around the clock to fortify lines. Weather conditions are expected to change as thunderstorms move north tonight, transitioning into a hot, drier pattern tomorrow with breezy western winds. These conditions will lower relative humidity and reduce overnight recoveries, contributing to challenging fire behavior. A Red Flag warning is in place tomorrow through Friday. As a result, several resources will be reassigned from night to day operations to better respond to anticipated fire behavior. Initial attack (IA) resources are ready to help local agencies address any new starts, should they occur, to allow incident personnel to continue to focus on the Flat Fire.
Evacuation levels have been updated, with several downgrades in both Jefferson and Deschutes Counties. Fire officials and law enforcement continue to monitor and re-evaluate evacuation levels, with a focus on safely returning residents to their homes. Incident officials expressed their commitment, with OSFM Red Team Incident Commander Ian Yocum stating, “Our job, our goal, is to secure the incident, to bring the residents home, and to bring the community comfort. We are committed to this incident until that goal is met.” The community is urged to stay informed by following the Jefferson and Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Facebook pages for updates and resources to ensure a safe return home.
Evacuations:
Evacuations are managed by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
Level 1, 2, and 3 evacuations remain in effect under the direction of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Follow their Facebook pages for the latest information and updates. They can also be reached by phone: Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office at (541) 388-6655, and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (541) 475-6520.
A 24-hour evacuation shelter has been set up by the Red Cross at Highland Baptist Church located at: 3100 SW Highland Ave, Redmond, OR. Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Madras and Kerley Horse Center in Powell Butte are available for large animals.
Local Area closures: To help fire operations and firefighter safety, the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service ask that people stay out of the fire area.
The BLM has implemented closures, which can be found under the Prineville tab on the following page: https://www.blm.gov/programs/public-safety-and-fire/fire-and-aviation/regional-info/oregon-washington/fire-restrictions.
The U.S. Forest Service has implemented closures, which can be found on the following page: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/deschutes/alerts
As a reminder, drone use near fires is both illegal and extremely dangerous to pilots working on incidents. If you fly, we can’t. FAA Temporary Flight Restrictions are in place for the fire area. All illegal drone use will be reported to law enforcement.
Local Road closures: The Deschutes County Sheriff is managing several local road closures.
· Wilt Road is open from Camp Polk to Buffalo Drive
· Wilt Road is closed at Buffalo Drive
· Mountain View Drive is closed beyond the 17700 block
· Panoramic Drive is closed at Camp Polk Road
· Goodrich Road closed north of Hwy 126
· Holmes Road closed north of Fadjur Lane
Smoke Report: The current smoke outlook for Central Oregon can be found on the following page: https://outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlook/6436a95d?