THE GORGE — Coming off the devastating 2025 wildfire season, this year’s Fire in the Gorge feels particularly relevant.
Record-low snowpack and an anticipated hotter-than-normal summer could mean a busier-than-usual wildfire season across the Pacific Northwest this year — and while we hope that isn’t the case, the reality is that wildfires start earlier and end later with each passing year. After decades of mismanagement, many forests are chock full of flammable fuel, missing Indigenous stewardship and the historic presence of healthy, regenerative fire.
When we started this publication, it was to promote public safety. It has undergone an evolution of sorts with each passing year. Our goal with this year’s publication is to give you the information you need before wildfire strikes, but we’ve also put an emphasis on looking back to last summer — how residents and firefighters mobilized a heroic response to the Rowena Fire, what the Burdoin Fire did to Lyle-area vineyards, what fire agencies learned and how that knowledge is shaping preparations for this year.
You’ll also find a variety of information from community partners to help you get your property and neighborhoods ready to withstand a forest fire, or to help should fire hit.
Wildfire season is only getting harder, but with a little preparation, we can potentially alleviate the worst of it.
Commented