Smoke Settles In , Over Sprague River

🔥 Local Fire Report: Smoke Settles In Over Sprague River OREGON (July 16, 2025)

The smoke’s been thick out here in Sprague River lately, and it’s no mystery why — we’ve got three fires burning in our backyard. These aren’t distant headlines from up north or downstate. These are real deal blazes just a short ride away, and the air's got that thick campfire funk hanging on everything.

Here is what's surrounding us:

Hagelstein Fire

   Near Hagelstein Mountain (just east of Highway 97)
523 acres and still active
This fire's been putting out a solid wall of smoke. You can see the orange glow on the map and smell it on your porch. It’s just north of Upper Klamath Lake, and when the wind blows right (or wrong, depending how you see it), it sends smoke straight into Sprague River Valley.

Shmore Fire

     Southeast of Lake of the Woods, north of Dairy
55.9 acres, but you wouldn’t know it’s smaller by the smoke it’s throwing
Even at under 60 acres, that big, dark orange cloud is spilling over the east hills and making the sky look like sunset at 3 in the afternoon. If you’ve been hacking and wheezing this week, Shmore is probably why.

Elk Fire

           North of Beatty, in the Fremont-Winema zone
2,699 acres and growing
This one’s the big dog nearby — covering over 2,600 acres already. It's further south, but it’s sending up a massive smoke column that’s mixing in with the others. Depending on how the wind shifts, Elk could start choking the basin even more.

This fire is moving across wildland parcels near KLA-1741 and KLA-1976 units, if you're familiar with those fire zones.

Life Under the Smoke Blanket

Right now, in Sprague River, it’s like living inside a smoker with no exhaust vent. Mornings start with blood-red sunrises, and by afternoon, the sky’s a brown-grey smear. You can smell the pitch and ash clinging to your clothes after stepping outside for five minutes.

Folks with asthma, kids, and elders are feeling it the most. Even the animals are off their routine — horses pawing at the dirt, chickens laying less, dogs staying in the shade. You know it’s bad when the wildlife goes quiet.

What can we Do About It

  • Windows shut, even if it gets hot

  • Box fans + furnace filters to clean up indoor air

  • Masks on hand, even if it feels weird to wear them again

  • Checking fire.airnow.gov and Watch Duty daily

  • Making sure bug-out bags are packed, trucks are fueled, and neighbors are informed

From the town folk:

“It ain’t the biggest fire season we’ve seen yet, but it’s starting off like it wants the title.”
– Heard at the Sprague River post office

Want to Share the Real View?

If you're reading this and you're local — take a pic of your view and tag it #SmokeInSprague. Let’s show folks what it’s really like out here, where the smoke don’t make the news but still fills your lungs.