2026 Great Basin & Mt. Hood Fires (68 photos)

I was a "Great Basin Task Force #1" Leader for two weeks in August.

Our first fire was the 578,000 Big Grass Fire in Oregon and Idaho.

The mighty Wildcat Hand Crew from Salem, Oregon was eager and able to hike long distances into the "donut" - an unburned patch of 100,000 acres, holding heat in the middle of the fire.

 

Next we mobilized to the Buffalo 2 near Austin, Nevada, a 35-acre fire already caught by Reno, NV, USFS Prevention Officer Martinez, two air tankers and a mixed load of smokejumpers from three bases.

 

Our last fire was the 18,000-acre Calico Fire near Paradise, NV. We hiked far to chase heat in the rim-rock, and put the fire to bed. In late August

I worked the 93,000-acre Grasshopper Fire near Mt. Hood, Oregon for a couple of weeks - fire suppression repair. In 2026, my hand crews, engine crews, heavy equipment ops worked together with great results.

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