The Rowe Creek Complex reached 313,439 acres and was 55% contained on August 2, 2026, as Oregon fires crews worked through a changing perimeter in central Oregon. The fire began July 15 from lightning and was burning 10 miles south of Fossil.
Two thousand, three hundred and thirty-two personnel were assigned as Southwest Complex Incident Management Team 2 and Oregon State Fire Marshal Blue Team operated in unified command. Crews were protecting structures and populated areas while also working lines near Tompkins Pass, the Mill Creek Wilderness, and the southwest side of the fire near Prineville.
Tompkins Pass and Prineville
Crews monitored containment lines during Saturday's Particularly Dangerous Situation Red Flag conditions, but the fire jumped established lines near Tompkins Pass. West winds pushed the fire east toward the Mill Creek Wilderness, while bucket drops supported suppression near Prineville and dozer line was being put in outside the wilderness boundary.
Nighttime humidity recovery and dropping temperatures eased fire intensity overnight, and Additional OSFM Structural Task Forces were shifting to strengthen existing groups in the Mill Creek and Johnson Creek areas. The work on those lines was aimed at holding the fire where it had already been slowed, not waiting for it to stop on its own.
Crook County Evacuation Information
People in Crook County, Jefferson County, Wasco County, and Wheeler County were given evacuation information, and a Red Cross shelter was operating at East Side Church, 3174 NE Third Street, Prineville. Units of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument were closed, and a temporary flight restriction was in place in the area.
For people in the affected counties, the practical next step is to follow the evacuation maps and closure information tied to the fire, then plan around the shelter, the monument closure, and the flight restriction already in effect. The main uncertainty now is how much more ground the Rowe Creek Complex will take before crews can push containment beyond the 55% mark.
