Lower Dry Creek Fire: New evacuation orders as of 8:00 p.m.
By Dan Thesman on Wednesday, July 15th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
UPDATE 10:20 PM
UPDATE: 07/15/2026 AT 9:20 p.m. **EVACUATION LEVELS INCREASED for LOWER DRY CREEK FIRE
LEVEL 3 EVACUATION (GO NOW) City of Weston, from Schrimpf Rd to Kirk Rd and Kee’s Cemetery Rd to Highway 204.
LEVEL 3 EVACUATION (GO NOW) Highway 204 to Basket Mountain Rd and Highway 11 to Kirk Rd
LEVEL 3 EVACUATION (GO NOW) North of Wildhorse Rd, South of Highway 204, east of Wildhorse Rd and west of Lupine Lane
LEVEL 3 EVACUATION (GO NOW) North of Couse Creek Rd, South of Walla Walla River, East of Highway 11 and West of Foster Rd area.
LEVEL 2 EVACUATION (BE SET) NE of Highway 204 to Basket Mountain Rd between Kirk Rd and Hodgens Rd.
And additional LEVEL 3 added:
LEVEL 3 EVACUATION (GO NOW) North of Couse Creek Rd, South of Walla Walla River, East of Highway 11 and West of Foster Rd area.
LEVEL 3 EVACUATION (GO NOW) Walla Walla River Rd and Couse Creek to Harris Park and Walla Walla Walla River Rd along Lincton Mountain Rd till about 5 miles north of Highway 204. (Including Harris Park)
Including Harris Park.
See maps.
SHELTER has MOVED. The shelter previously located at Athena High School has been moved to Pendleton Sunridge Middle School, 700 SW Runnion Ave, Pendleton due to a power outage in Athena. Anyone seeking shelter from evacuations can report Sunridge Middle School.
MEADOW WOOD Speech Camp at Meadow Wood Lane had a camp in progress and directors have made a decision to evacuate in an abundance of caution. The children have been taken to the Elgin High School and parents can reach their children there or wait to be contacted by staff when they arrive in Elgin. Due to fire activity, parents should NOT travel via route Highway 204 to Elgin to pick up their children
UPDATE 8:00 PM: New evacuation levels.
LEVEL 3 EVACUATION (GO NOW) City of Weston, from Schrimpf Rd to Kirk Rd and Kee’s Cemetery Rd to Highway 204.
LEVEL 3 EVACUATION (GO NOW) Highway 204 to Basket Mountain Rd and Highway 11 to Kirk Rd
LEVEL 2 EVACUATION (BE SET) NE of Highway 204 to Basket Mountain Rd between Kirk Rd and Hodgens Rd.
And additional an LEVEL 3 added:
LEVEL 3 EVACUATION (GO NOW) North of Wildhorse Rd, South of Highway 204, east of Wildhorse Rd and west of Lupine Lane.
UPDATE 7:28 PM: The shelter has moved from Athena High School to Sunridge Middle School due to a power outage in Athena.
Meadow Wood Speech Camp has evacuated and those children have been taken to Elgin High School. Parents can wait at the high school or wait to be contacted by staff when they arrive in Elgin. The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office advises parents not to take OR-204 to Elgin to pick up children due to the fire activity.
UPDATE 6:08 PM: Evacuation levels are as follows from the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office.
LEVEL 3 EVACUATION (GO NOW) City of Weston, from Schrimpf Rd to Kirk Rd and Kee’s Cemetery Rd to Highway 204.
LEVEL 3 EVACUATION (GO NOW) Highway 204 to Basket Mountain Rd and Highway 11 to Kirk Rd
LEVEL 2 EVACUATION (BE SET) NE of Highway 204 to Basket Mountain Rd between Kirk Rd and Hodgens Rd.
Oregon 204 is closed at Tollgate, Oregon 11 is closed from Milton-Freewater to Athena.
UPDATE 5:30 PM, 7/15/2026: EVACUATION LEVELS for LOWER DRY CREEK FIRE
LEVEL 3 EVACUATION (GO NOW) from Winn Rd to Cemetery Rd and the city of Weston
LEVEL 2 EVACUATION (BE SET) Upper Dry Creek
Monitor the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page for current evacuation levels and state Genasys Project
SHELTER IS OPEN: At Athena High School, 540 E Main St, Athena, Oregon for those affected by the evacuation levels.
Photo courtesy East Umatilla Fire and Rescue
ORIGINAL STORY:
UMATILLA COUNTY — A wildfire in Umatilla County has forced the closure of a stretch of Oregon Route 11 on Wednesday and prompted immediate evacuation orders for residents south of Milton-Freewater.
The Oregon Department of Transportation closed both directions of the highway about 8 miles west of Adams, between mileposts 20 and 26. Officials are urging motorists to avoid the area and find alternate routes while crews respond to the blaze.
As the fire advanced, Umatilla County Emergency Management issued a Level 3 “Go Now” evacuation order for zones UMC-071-B, UMC-071-E and UMC-071-F. The mandatory evacuation covers the areas of York, Steen and Lower Dry Creek roads.
Map provided by Umatilla County Emergency Management
Residents in Level 3 zones are advised to leave immediately, as danger to the area is current or imminent.
