PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – As the Flat Fire burns through Central Oregon, an actor known for his role on “The Office” is voicing concerns over climate change amplifying wildfire activity as he and his family are among thousands under an evacuation order from the blaze.

In an Instagram video posted Monday, actor Rainn Wilson — known for playing Dwight Schrute on the sitcom “The Office,” — said, “Here’s a fun fact, I have just undergone – along with my wife, Holiday Reinhorn, and family – an evacuation from our Oregon mountain cabin.”

“This is our fourth evacuation over the last six years. As you know, the last year we evacuated, we lost about half of our house in the fires that tore through the Los Angeles area late last year. So, we’re staying at a friend’s house and I’m starting to take this personally,” Wilson joked. “But I know it’s not a personal matter, it’s actually a science matter.”

“Now, let’s talk a little science. Now, I’m a dumb actor, okay? So, look it up. Google it,” Wilson said. “Over the last 1,200 years in the western states, the last 25 have been the driest on record,” Wilson said, citing a 2024 report from the Los Angeles Times.

“And part of the reason for these fires going up and down the west coast is the extreme weather events caused by human-made climate change,” Wilson said.

According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Earth’s warming climate is fueling wildfire activity, especially in northern and temperate forests.

“Extreme wildfire activity has more than doubled worldwide,” according to NASA, referencing a study published in the journal Nature in 2024. “NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites detect active wildfires twice each day. Scientists studied this data over a 21-year span and found that extreme wildfires have become more frequent, more intense, and larger. The largest increase in extreme fire behavior was in the temperate conifer forests of the Western U.S. and the boreal forests of northern North America and Russia.”

“Although some variations in the weather are natural, human-caused climate change has been found to be the main cause for increasing fire weather in the American West,” NASA explains.

“As the planet warms, hotter weather, earlier melting of winter snow, warmer nighttime temperatures, and decreasing summer rainfall are all contributing to increased fire activity. In the Western U.S., the amount of summertime precipitation has the biggest effect on how much land area is burned in a given year. Historical efforts to reduce all wildfires led to decades of fire suppression, which has caused a buildup of fuels in some forests. This combination of fuel build-up and warmer, drier conditions increases the potential for extreme fires,” the agency adds.

For Wilson, undergoing four wildfire evacuations has been “difficult and strenuous,” and is urging for limits on carbon dioxide emissions to mitigate the effects of climate change.

“This has been, honestly, really, really difficult and strenuous. No matter where I go on the west coast, there’s fires ravaging the land and it makes me really sad for our forests,” Wilson said in the video. “So, for God’s sake, for the planet’s sake, let’s do something for our great, great grandchildren and simply limit CO2 and other heat-trapping gases and plant trees and create clean air.”

The Flat Fire was first reported on August 21, about three miles west of Lake Billy Chinook, burning around 3,300 acres. The following day, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act to send more resources to battle the blaze.

As of Aug. 26, the Flat Fire has grown to an estimated 21,971 acres just two miles from the town of Sisters and is 7% contained.

Four homes have been lost so far, officials said during an Aug. 25 community meeting at Sisters High School. More than 2,700 homes remain threatened, and more than 4,000 are still under some level of evacuation.

The cause of the fire has not been determined.