Mill Creek 2 Fire burns near Mama Jane’s in The Dalles for the second time in five weeks
By Joshuah Albert
The Dalles, Ore., Aug. 7, 2026 — For the second time in just over a month, firefighters were called to a brush fire in the Mill Creek drainage behind Mama Jane’s Pancake House in The Dalles, an area that has become a recurring trouble spot for vegetation fires.
The fire came as Oregon is experiencing its worst fire season on record with more than 3,000 square miles burned in the state thus far.
The Mill Creek 2 Fire was reported at 5:38 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, in the drainage off West Sixth Street. Mid-Columbia Fire & Rescue crews responded and worked to contain the fire as it burned through dry grass, brush and trees on the steep hillside.
The fire sent local residents into a panic as they worked to protect their property and homes which abutted the blaze.
“In total, 28 firefighting units and 79 firefighters responded alongside numerous residents and business owners,” stated a Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue post on Facebook. “Thanks to a rapid and coordinated response, the fire was contained before it could spread further. At this time, one vehicle was lost, one trailer sustained damage, and one minor injury to a firefighter was reported. Fortunately, no structures were destroyed.”
This morning, the flames were gone, but evidence of the fire remained across the drainage. Blackened ground stretched up portions of the rocky hillside, while scorched trees, burned brush and fallen limbs marked the fire’s path. A firefighter remained on scene Friday morning, spraying water into burned vegetation as mop-up operations continued.
The fire burned close to developed property along the drainage. Photos taken Friday show charred vegetation below buildings and fences, although no structural damage was apparent from the areas photographed.
Thursday's fire came almost exactly five weeks after another brush fire burned in the same Mill Creek corridor.
On July 2, firefighters responded shortly after 9 p.m. to a fire in trees and brush along the south bank of Mill Creek, southeast of Mama Jane’s. That fire burned roughly 100 yards of grass and vegetation and came close enough to the Creek View Condos to prompt Level 2 and Level 3 evacuation notices.
On Thursday, Mid-Columbia Fire & Rescue, assisted by the U.S. Forest Service, brought that fire under control by about 9:40 p.m. No injuries or structural damage were reported.
The two fires add to a longer history of vegetation fires along Mill Creek.
In August 2022, firefighters battled a fast-moving grass fire farther along the Mill Creek corridor behind The Dalles Aquatic Center after flames spread through dry vegetation near the creek bottom.
The drainage behind Mama Jane’s is heavily vegetated and runs through the middle of a developed portion of The Dalles, putting dry summer fuels close to homes, businesses and other structures.
The site of the two recent fires was also once home to a trailer park constructed during building of The Dalles Dam in the 1950s.
With two fires occurring in essentially the same area within five weeks, the Mill Creek drainage has again emerged as a nuisance fire location requiring repeated responses from local firefighters.
The cause and final size of the Mill Creek 2 Fire had not been confirmed as of Friday morning.
MCFR extended its sincere thanks to mutual aid partners from the Oregon Department of Forestry, Hood River County Taskforce- Cascade Locks, Wy'East, Parkdale, our mutual aid partners of Wamic, Dufur, Mosier, Dallesport, Lyle, and in-town contract engine crews, and the Skamania County Task Force who responded but were made available for the region after the fire's forward progress was stopped. It also thanked the assistance of Klickitat County EMS, The Dalles Police Department, Wasco County Sheriff's Office, and Northern Wasco PUD.
If you witnessed the start of the fire or have any information, photos, or videos from the early stages of the incident, please contact the Fire Marshal's Office at firemarshal@mcfr.org.
This incident is another example of how strong regional partnerships and community support help protect our communities when it matters most.
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