Orchard Fire Grows to 165 Acres; Crews Complete Overnight Firing Operations
Photo from Mid Columbia Fire Rescue Facebook page.
From Mid Columbia Fire Rescue with edits from Joshuah Albert:
The Dalles, Ore., Sept. 28, 2026 — Firefighters made significant progress overnight on the Orchard Fire, which was estimated at about 165 acres Sunday morning after crews completed planned firing operations, according to Mid-Columbia Fire & Rescue.
The fire remains under unified command between Mid-Columbia Fire & Rescue and the Oregon Department of Forestry.
Crews completed firing operations at about 2 a.m., and firefighters planned to spend Sunday strengthening containment lines, mopping up the fire and extinguishing remaining hot spots.
One barn and one small outbuilding have been destroyed. No other buildings or homes have been damaged, fire officials said.
Resources assigned to the fire Sunday include a 20-person hand crew, six fire engines, and unified command and overhead personnel.
Crews will also remove hazardous trees where necessary as they continue working to secure the fire area.
Residents and motorists should expect to see smoke throughout the day as pockets of vegetation continue to burn and smolder within the fire perimeter.
Fire officials cautioned that visible smoke does not necessarily mean the fire has crossed established control lines.
ODF and Mid-Columbia Fire & Rescue personnel will continue monitoring conditions and working throughout the day to secure the fire area.
Additional information is expected as fire conditions and operations change.
