A Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue operations chief and his Washington County strike team are back home after spending seven straight days on the fire line in eastern Oregon, working 12-hour overnight shifts to protect homes, hay crops and infrastructure from the 105,000-acre Second Flat Fire.
District Chief of Operations Ryan Robinson, a 30-year fire service veteran, led firefighters and engines from multiple Washington County departments to Harney County after the blaze ignited July 25 near Burns. The fire destroyed two homes and five outbuildings in its first days before mutual aid crews arrived.
Robinson told KGW the fire was moving 4 to 6 miles a day, forcing crews to work fast.
"We'll start spraying water on fire and try to hook the fire around the structure," Robinson said. "And then bounce and try to save another structure."
The strike team worked from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. for seven consecutive nights. Much of their effort focused on protecting hay crops in Burns, which Robinson described as a high-value agricultural resource that feeds livestock through winter.
Gov. Tina Kotek invoked the Conflagration Act on July 26, one day after the fire started, allowing the Oregon State Fire Marshal to mobilize structural task forces statewide. As of Tuesday, Aug. 4, the fire had reached 55% containment, according to KGW. An incident update from Elkhorn Media Group on Aug. 3 listed 429 personnel assigned to the blaze.
Defensible space made the difference
Robinson credited homeowners who had cleared flammable vegetation and fuels near their buildings with helping crews save structures. That preparation, known as defensible space, gave firefighters room to work.
The lesson applies closer to home. TVF&R's service area, which includes portions of Washington, Multnomah, Clackamas and Yamhill counties, is under a burn ban. The agency urges residents to use extreme caution with smoking materials, barbecues and other open flames, and offers wildland-urban interface protection tips at tvfr.com.
A record wildfire season
The Second Flat Fire is one piece of a historic 2026 wildfire season. Oregon has burned approximately 1.99 million acres so far, surpassing the previous record of 1.93 million acres set in 2024, according to KGW's wildfire tracker. TVF&R has deployed crews to multiple fires this season, including the Olive Complex near Grant County and the East Evans Creek Road Fire near Jackson County.
Robinson acknowledged the toll deployments take on firefighters' families, saying spouses, children and loved ones must manage at home while crews are away for weeks at a time. He said his own family understands the mission.
As we reported July 29, the record-pace wildfire season has stretched TVF&R crews thin. Beaverton-area residents can reduce wildfire risk on their own properties by maintaining defensible space and following TVF&R's burn ban guidelines.
