Space photos capture smoke from Oregon and Washington wildfires veiling Cascade volcanoes

In late July and early August 2026, astronauts on the International Space Station captured images of smoke intertwining with the snow-capped peaks of the Cascade Range. The Grasshopper fire, sparked by a July 23 lightning strike, spread rapidly across Mount Hood National Forest, burning almost 84,000 acres and forcing “go now” evacuations in parts of Wasco County while urging Dufur residents to prepare for possible evacuation.

About 100 miles north, Mount Rainier was enveloped in a haze on August 4, not from a nearby blaze but from smoke drifting eastward from central and eastern Washington under a high-pressure system. The National Park Service reported unhealthy air quality in the park due to elevated PM2.5, and the Grand Park 2 fire later ignited near the Sunrise Visitor Center, remaining uncontained at 223 acres. Forecasts from the National Interagency Fire Center indicated that El Niño-driven warm, dry weather would sustain a high fire-danger environment throughout the month. The photographs, taken with a Nikon Z9 camera by a member of Expedition 75, have been processed and released by NASA’s Earth Observation programs for scientific and public use.