Oregon Wildfire Response Shifts as Record El Niño Sparks Statewide Threat

A Rogue Valley strike team from Medford and neighboring fire districts was redirected from the Shingle Fire in southern Oregon to protect homes near Burns against the Second Flat Fire in central Oregon, reflecting rapidly changing conditions across the state’s wildfire season.

Forecasters warn that the strongest El Niño on record is imminent, intensifying heat, drought and fire‑driven smoke across the western United States and beyond. Recent smoke plumes have already affected the Canadian and U.S. east coasts and parts of Europe, highlighting the broader climate‑driven risks that underlie the Oregon emergencies.