Hay barn near Prairie City destroyed following lightning caused fire

By Logan Bagett on Wednesday, July 8th, 2026 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories

PRAIRIE CITY — Lightning struck a hay barn just west of Prairie City on Tuesday evening, with the structure quickly going up in flames. The Prairie City Volunteer Fire Department, along with the John Day Fire Department, Grant County Sheriff’s Office, and Oregon State Police all responded to a residence on Art Morgan Road for the report of a structure fire and a vehicle fire. Unofficial reports indicate no one was injured in the blaze. Small flames from the hay barn were still visible from Highway 26 Wednesday morning.

This is a developing story. We’ll have more information as the day goes on.

Photos below courtesy of GCSO Deputy Ordway:

The video below was provided by Grant County Sheriff McKinley: