The Big Grass Fire burning along the Oregon-Idaho border in Malheur County has exploded to 304,229 acres with only 21 percent containment, threatening 356 residential structures and forcing evacuations across multiple communities in one of the most remote stretches of the American West.

The fire started July 23, 2026, burning primarily through brush and grass in the Vale District managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Its rapid spread across dry rangeland caught firefighters off guard, and with containment still limited weeks into the response, fire managers are bracing for further growth under the weekend's extreme wind event.

Evacuations at Jordan Valley, Pleasant Valley, and South Mountain

Level 3 "Go Now" evacuation orders are currently in effect for Jordan Valley, Pleasant Valley, and South Mountain due to road closures caused by the fire. Residents in these areas have been displaced, with local emergency officials coordinating shelter and support resources.

Jordan Valley Mayor Shelia C. has been working with county emergency management to assist evacuated residents. As of the most recent updates, no structures have been destroyed and no injuries have been reported — a testament to the early evacuation decisions made by local officials and the defensive work of firefighting crews protecting structures in the area.

Scale of the Response

A total of 216 personnel are currently assigned to the Big Grass Fire, including four hand crews, 16 engines, and 13 dozers. Cooperating agencies include the Jordan Valley Rural Fire Protection Association and Owyhee County resources from the Idaho side of the border, along with BLM Vale District personnel and interagency support.

Firefighters have worked to establish containment lines on the eastern and northern flanks of the fire, but persistent dry and windy conditions have repeatedly compromised progress. At 21% containment with more than 304,000 acres burned, the Big Grass Fire ranks among the largest active incidents in the United States.

Context: Oregon's Ranching Communities Under Pressure

The Big Grass Fire has burned through vast swaths of public range land that ranchers in the Jordan Valley area depend on for summer grazing. Ranchers across eastern Oregon have scrambled to move cattle and find emergency feed supplies as fires consume thousands of acres of grassland and BLM grazing allotments. The economic toll on the agricultural community is expected to be significant and long-lasting.

NPR and OPB have both reported on the cascading impacts for ranching families, with some operations having lost months of feed supply in a matter of days. Recovery of burned rangelands can take three to five years in this high desert terrain.

What to Know

  • Level 3 evacuations are in effect for Jordan Valley, Pleasant Valley, and South Mountain
  • The fire is burning primarily in grass and brush; extreme wind events can cause rapid runs of several miles in a single afternoon
  • Malheur County residents should monitor malheurco.org and local emergency alerts
  • The fire information line is 208-295-5503
  • No structure losses or injuries have been reported as of August 1

With dangerous fire weather conditions expected to intensify through the weekend, the Big Grass Fire remains one of the most volatile large incidents in the Pacific Northwest. Residents and ranchers throughout Malheur County should remain alert and be prepared to act quickly if evacuation orders expand.