Wildfires

Even the Oregon Coast Is Burning

Traditionally a place of refuge from heat and smoke, the skies above parts of the Pacific have turned red.

09/09/2020 By Ainslee Dicken

Disaster

Here’s How to Help the Victims of Oregon’s Wildfires

Thousands around the state are under evacuation orders as multiple fires rage, fanned by high winds.

09/09/2020 By Julia Silverman

Oregon Wine 2019: Solidarity

How Wildfires and Shady Californians Led Oregon Winemakers to Unite

A new collective label, Oregon Solidarity, donates profits back to the Rogue Valley Vintners.

09/23/2019 By Ramona DeNies

Summer Adventures: The Gorge

Two Years After the Eagle Creek Fire, Some of the Gorge’s Most Iconic Hikes Are Open Again

Here are three hikes to get you back into the Gorge.

05/28/2019 By Benjamin Tepler

News

Are Wildfires Choking Oregon’s High Season?

“Smoke season” is costing us millions in tourism dollars. Some agencies are desperate to cut through the haze—before it’s too late.

05/28/2019 By Ramona DeNies

Wildfire Upside

Could Wildfires Help Save Oregon's Native Bees?

The hotter the blaze, the buzzier are Oregon's 500-some bee species.

04/15/2019 By Shayla Norris-York

Film

A New Documentary Tells the Stories Behind the Eagle Creek Fire

This time last year the Gorge was burning. Forest on Fire reflects on the blaze that shocked our state.

09/04/2018 By Marty Patail

First Look

Tails & Trotters Reopens with Plate Lunches, Sandwiches, and Beer

A year after a devastating fire torched its aged pork inventory, NE Portland's artisan butcher shop rises from the ashes.

03/21/2018 By Christine Menges and Benjamin Tepler

Science

When Portland Skies Darken, These Meteorologists Get to Work

Meet the city's stormwatchers.

01/30/2018 By Stephen Phillips

Science

Indonesia's Wildfires Are a Climate Disaster. Can Portland Help Douse the Flames?

A local design company thinks it can help solve a fiery carbon conundrum.

01/30/2018 By Zach Dundas

Unnatural Treasure

The Columbia River Gorge Burned. We Could Make That a Good Thing.

A manifesto for our beloved national landmark, after the flames.

11/20/2017 By Randy Gragg Illustrations by Amy Martin

Editor's Note

From the Editor: In America’s Season of Crisis, Cities Stepped Up

Floods, flames, and friends.

10/16/2017 By Zach Dundas

Eternal Flame

Was 2017's Smoky Summer a Sign of a New, Climate-Changed Normal?

Here are some of the biggest wildfires that raged across the West.

10/16/2017 By Kayla Brock

Dispatch

When the Gorge Burned, Oregon Search & Rescue Volunteers Scrambled

A first responder recounts the dramatic all-night effort to save more than 100 hikers.

10/16/2017 By Christopher Van Tilburg

Everyday Activism

Support the Columbia Gorge by Buying Lagers, Light Bulbs, and Lube

On Monday, September 25, dozens of N Mississippi Avenue businesses will donate a portion of sales to Eagle Creek fire relief efforts.

09/21/2017 By Hannah Bonnie

Wildfires

Beyond Eagle Creek: So Much Fire, So Close to Home

Yes, the Columbia Gorge is our backyard. But that fire is small potatoes compared to blazes elsewhere in Oregon.

09/08/2017 By Margaret Seiler

Wildfires

Oregon's on Fire. Where's the Supertanker?

Panicked by wildfires like Eagle Creek, some Oregonians want to bring in the world's largest air tanker. Gov. Brown throws a towel on that.

09/07/2017 By Ramona DeNies

Everyday Activism

How You Can Help Rebuild the Gorge (and Not Make Things Worse)

"If you wanna go fast, go alone; if you wanna go far, go together."

09/07/2017 By Kelly Clarke

Eagle Creek Fire

As the Columbia Gorge Burns, Reflecting on What This Place Means to Us

From pianist Hunter Noack to hiker Jenny Bruso to chef Gregory Gourdet, Oregonians pay tribute to a natural resource forever changed.

09/07/2017 By Portland Monthly Staff

News

Senator Ron Wyden Has Been Trying to Fix Wildfire Funding Since 2013

His solution won't help the Gorge right now, but it could help prevent future fires.

09/07/2017 By Marty Patail