Incident Information:
Fire Information Line: 503-877-9324, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/akawabuttefire
Email: akawabuttefire@gmail.com
FIRE AT A GLANCE
Akawa Butte Fire
Estimated Size: 27,491 acres (IR)
Location: 13 miles northeast of Sisters, OR
Containment: 85%
Cause: Lightning
Evacuations: Level 1–3 evacuations are in effect
Resources
Total Personnel: 244
Incident Commanders:
Northern New Mexico Type 3 Incident Management Team | Incident Commander: Steven Griego
Operations: On Monday, crews graded Forest Road 2050 within the fire area. They will move on to grading Wilt Road today, working from north to south. Resources will be reallocated today to address the final 15% containment on the west and southeast of the fire area. Contingency operations to the west and north are nearing completion. The Northern New Mexico Type 3 Incident Management Team is expecting to transfer command back to local resources by Friday morning.
Safety: While evacuations have lifted, closure orders are still in effect for the fire area. Hiking, biking or otherwise recreating in an active fire area is dangerous. Hazard trees, unstable soil and hot spots can lead to serious injury. Keep yourself and firefighters safe by obeying posted signs and closure orders.
Weather: Weather will warm on Tuesday following the weekend cold front. Wednesday and Thursday are expected to bring hot, dry and unstable conditions, with temperatures into the 90s and humidity in the teens.
Smoke: Smoke from wildfires around the Northwest is expected to affect air quality in Sisters and surrounding communities on Tuesday and Wednesday. For a complete smoke outlook, visit: outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlook/6aaf6480
For air quality information, visit: fire.airnow.gov/
Safety: Closure and evacuation orders are still in effect in the fire area. Indian Ford Road has opened, but drivers should yield to fire traffic. Slow down and stay alert. Roads off Indian Ford into the fire area are still closed.
Evacuations: Level 1–3 evacuations are in effect for the Akawa Butte Fire. Evacuation orders are issued by the county sheriff’s offices. For the most up-to-date information, visit:
- Deschutes County: sheriff.deschutes.org/news/
- For an interactive map: bit.ly/3TrRuyg
- Jefferson County: bit.ly/3R3V6pu
Closures: The Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service have implemented closures in and around the fire area.
- BLM Closures and Restrictions: blm.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2026-07/orwa-fpo-pri-jefferson-071826.pdf
- Deschutes National Forest Closure: fs.usda.gov/r06/deschutes/alerts/akawa-butte-fire-closure-july-22-2026
- Crooked River National Grassland Closure: fs.usda.gov/r06/ochoco/alerts/emergency-fire-closure-area-crooked-river-national-grassland