In this photo provided by Wheeler County Fire & Rescue, a firefighter looks on as the Butte Creek Fire burns on a hillside near Clarno, Ore.
Wheeler County Fire & Rescue
A wildfire that started in Wheeler County over the weekend quickly grew to nearly 1,800 acres. But officials said that the fire only saw minimal growth on Tuesday.
By Tuesday night, the fire line was 20% contained, according to Central Oregon Fire Info.
The Butte Creek Fire was first reported just before 3 p.m. on Sunday on the east side of the John Day River, just north of Clarno, Oregon.
The fire is burning on private and U.S. Bureau of Land Management lands. Investigators haven’t said yet what caused the fire. No closures or evacuations were in place as of Wednesday morning.
Officials urged boaters in the general area to use caution, as helicopters could be pulling water out of the John Day River to help fight the fire.
The Butte Creek Fire is the first large wildfire of 2025 in Oregon.
In this photo provided by Wheeler County Fire & Rescue, the Butte Creek Fire burns on a hillside near Clarno, Ore. The fire was first reported on May 25, 2025.
Wheeler County Fire & Rescue
Earlier this month, Gov. Tina Kotek announced that Oregon is expected to have a hot and dry summer, setting up a potentially devastating wildfire season ahead.
Parts of the state benefited from decent snowpack and rainfall this winter, Kotek said. But early precipitation in the season could mean that grasses, brush and other vegetation dry out early and become wildfire fuel.
The wildfire season in the Pacific Northwest can last from May through October, but it’s typically at its most intense from July to September. During that time, firefighting resources may be stretched thin as crews fight several big fires at once.
Last year, Oregon saw its most destructive fire season since record keeping began in 1992, with nearly 2 million acres burned.
By late July 2024, the state had become the nation’s top firefighting priority. At one point that August, there were more than 13,000 firefighters battling Oregon blazes.
More than 1,000 wildfires burned across the state last year, including six “megafires” that at their peaks had fire perimeters larger than 100,000 acres each.
The Oregon Legislature had to hold a special session last December to cover the costs of the 2024 wildfire season.
For news coverage and essential resources to help you stay informed and safe during wildfire events in the Pacific Northwest, visit opb.org/wildfires.
Related: Record 2024 Oregon wildfire season keeps NWS meteorologists extremely busy
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the county in which the Butte Creek Fire originated. OPB regrets the error.