This page is designed to provide for timely and official fire information about wildland fires across the Pacific Northwest. The information is posted by the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center in partnership with Public Information Officers that work for federal, state and local fire agencies and is drawn from official sources within the wildland fire community.
Saturday, August 29, 2026
Friday, August 28, 2026
Thursday, August 27, 2026
Wednesday, August 26, 2026
8/26/2026 Hill Loop Fire Final Update
Hill Loop Fire Final Update
August 26, 2026
Quick Facts
Size: 127 acres
Location: 13 miles north of Kettle Falls, Washington
Start Date: August 20, 2026
Containment: 90%
Firefighters continued making steady progress yesterday, mopping up deeper into the fire’s interior and checking the perimeter for remaining heat. Crews have now completed mop-up 200 feet inside the fire perimeter in many areas and continued suppression repair where firefighting equipment and containment lines are no longer needed.
Firefighters have been using handheld infrared (IR) equipment at night to detect heat that may not be visible from the surface. After hotspots were located and recorded crews returned to those areas during the day to mop-up. Handheld IR is commonly used late in the mop-up process to help identify residual heat before resources are released from an incident.
Today, crews will focus on hot spots and complete objectives before management of the Hill Loop Fire transitions back to Washington State Department of Natural Resources tomorrow. Resources no longer needed on the incident will be released or reassigned, while local firefighters will continue to patrol and monitor the fire.
Smoke may still be visible from within the fire area for several days or even weeks. Some stumps, duff and other fuels well inside the fire perimeter may continue to smolder or occasionally burn.
If you observe open flame or smoke within 300 to 400 feet of the fire’s perimeter, call NEWICC at 509-685-6900. If you are unable to contact NEWICC, call 911. When reporting smoke, it is helpful to provide your location, how close the smoke appears to be to the fire perimeter, characteristics of the smoke and whether you can see open flame.
Evacuations: All evacuations are lifted.
Tuesday, August 25, 2026
8/25/2026 Hill Loop Fire Update
Hill Loop Fire Update
August 25, 2026
Incident Commander: Shane Robson
Public Information Officer: Anjel Tomayko
Fire Information Line: 509-215-8583, 8 am – 8 pm
Quick Facts
Size: 127 acres
Location: 13 miles north of Kettle Falls, Washington
Start Date: August 20, 2026
Containment: 72%
Cause: Human, under investigation
Personnel: 173
Resources: 7 handcrews, 10 engines, 1 falling module, 1 dozer, 3 tenders
Priority: Firefighter and public safety
Firefighters continued making steady progress yesterday, working deeper into the interior of the fire to locate and extinguish remaining heat. Crews used the water delivery system established on the north end to support mop-up in steep terrain and continued gridding and checking the perimeter for hotspots.
Today, crews are expanding mop-up operations with a goal of securing up to 200 feet inside the fire perimeter where conditions allow. Firefighters will continue gridding and checking for remaining heat, while reinforcing areas that have already been mopped up.
As suppression work progresses, crews are also beginning rehabilitation of secondary containment lines. This includes installing water bars to reduce erosion, removing dozer berms and covering disturbed ground with brush where possible.
Weather will be warmer and dry today, with temperatures reaching the upper 80s and relative humidity dropping to around 16 to 21 percent. Winds are expected to remain light, shifting from northeast to southwest during the afternoon. Breezier southwest winds are expected Wednesday and Thursday, with gusts around 20 to 25 mph possible.
Evacuations: Level 1 evacuations remain in place. To sign up for alerts or view current evacuation information, visit: https://www.stevenscountywa.gov/20859/emergency-management
Road Closures: All road closures have been lifted.
Email: 2026.hillloop@firenet.gov
Monday, August 24, 2026
8/24/2026 Hill Loop Fire Update
Hill Loop Daily Update
August 24, 2026
Incident Commander: Shane Robson
Public Information Officer: Anjel Tomayko
Fire Information Line: 509-215-8583, 8 am – 8 pm
Quick Facts
Size: 127 acres
Location: 13 miles north of Kettle Falls, Washington
Start Date: August 20, 2026
Containment: 36%
Cause: Human, under investigation
Personnel: 153
Resources: 7 handcrews, 10 engines, 1 falling module, 1 dozer, 3 tenders, 1 skidgine
Priority: Firefighter and public safety
Yesterday, firefighters continued making progress securing containment around the fire’s perimeter. On the northern end of the fire, water pumps were set up and used to provide a robust water delivery system, supporting mop-up efforts especially in the steep terrain.
Today, crews will continue securing the fireline with a goal of a minimum of 150 feet of mop-up around the fire perimeter. On the west side of the fire, firefighters will be gridding the area to systematically search for and locate remaining heat, then mopping up those areas with heavy water use to ensure they are fully extinguished. Crews will also continue patrolling and monitoring around structures as firefighting operations wind down.
Overall, firefighters are making great progress as they work to mop up and secure further into the interior of the perimeter.
Evacuations: Level 2 evacuations have been reduced to Level 1. To sign up for alerts or view current evacuation information, visit: https://www.stevenscountywa.gov/20859/emergency-management
Road Closures: All road closures have been lifted.
Weather: Mostly sunny and warmer today, with temperatures reaching around 80 degrees. Winds will remain light to moderate, with dry conditions continuing through the afternoon.
Sunday, August 23, 2026
Saturday, August 22, 2026
Friday, August 21, 2026
Thursday, August 20, 2026
Wednesday, August 19, 2026
Tuesday, August 18, 2026
Monday, August 17, 2026
Sunday, August 16, 2026
Saturday, August 15, 2026
Friday, August 14, 2026
Thursday, August 13, 2026
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
Tuesday, August 11, 2026
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