9-11 Update: Paradise and Hagen Fires
By Dan Thesman on Friday, September 11th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News Columbia Basin Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
UMATILLA NATIONAL FOREST — Firefighters in the Umatilla National Forest are transitioning operations from suppression to long-term repair and restoration on the Hagen and Paradise wildfires, officials announced Friday.
The Hagen Fire, spanning 61,385 acres, is 63 percent contained, while the 9,656-acre Paradise Fire stands at 28 percent containment. Combined personnel across both blazes totaled 886.
Crews are using heavy machinery — including masticators, excavators, road graders, and chippers — to repair landscape damage, re-level dozer lines, stabilize fire breaks, and clear damaged trees. Priority tasks include constructing water bars to prevent soil erosion, grading impacted roads, and restoring damaged trail networks.
On the Paradise Fire, a Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team has arrived to evaluate post-fire needs, identify threats to watersheds and natural resources, and propose emergency stabilization efforts. Firefighters continue “hot spotting” near the fire’s edge to cool isolated heat pockets, while a hotshot crew builds hand lines through steep, rugged terrain. Crews on the Hagen Fire are actively patrolling the burn perimeter to extinguish remaining hot spots and repairing hand and dozer lines.
Forest officials issued a strict warning regarding ongoing closures, noting that unauthorized hunters have been spotted in restricted zones. Officials emphasized safety hazards including fire-weakened trees, slick roads, hot ash pits, and potential active fire, adding that law enforcement will increase patrols.
Dry weather is expected to yield to a weekend cooling trend with potential rain, followed by a return to cooler, drier conditions next week. Forest updates will now be issued every other day.
Photo: Aerial firefighting suppression in the Umatilla National Forest, Sept. 11, 2026
