Embers from a burning landfill sparked a 25-acre grassfire Sunday, Aug. 9, that raced toward two homes near Hillsboro, prompting evacuations and a multi-agency firefight led by Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, the fire district that serves Tigard, Tualatin, Bull Mountain and Durham.

The fire started around 4:20 p.m. when a garbage fire at a waste management facility on Southwest Minter Bridge Road threw embers into a dry, 40-acre field of cut grass to the south, according to KPTV, citing a TVF&R statement.

Gusty winds drove the flames rapidly across the field toward nearby residences.

Emergency officials evacuated two homes as a precaution. No structures were damaged.

TVF&R described "challenging conditions" for crews, KOIN 6 reported. Firefighters attacked the blaze from multiple directions using brush rigs, engines and water tenders, while the Beaverton Police Department provided a drone for aerial awareness of the rural terrain.

Hillsboro Fire Department, the Cornelius Fire Department and Forest Grove Fire Department all assisted. On the landfill side, crews deployed two bulldozers to contain a separate one-acre fire of burning trash and tires, which was boxed in by about 7:30 p.m. The grassfire's forward progress was stopped by Sunday evening, and crews shifted to mop-up operations.

One Hillsboro firefighter suffered minor injuries from overexertion in the heat and was treated at the scene. No other injuries were reported.

Southwest Minter Bridge Road was temporarily closed during the response, with the Washington County Sheriff's Office handling traffic control.

The incident came just three days after TVF&R disclosed it had deployed 22 apparatus and dozens of firefighters to nine wildfires across Oregon. Public Affairs Officer Corrine Haning said Aug. 6 that the agency fulfills mutual aid requests "only when in-district staffing levels can support sending personnel and equipment to assist elsewhere," as we reported that day.

Oregon's 2026 wildfire season has already surpassed the state's all-time acreage record, with 60 large fires burning more than 2 million acres, according to KATU. Human-caused fires account for 56% of the total this year, up from 52% in 2025.

A fire investigator is working to determine the cause of the initial landfill fire. Residents can reach TVF&R's public information office at (503) 649-8577 or [email protected].