Public use restrictions, including ban on open fires, begin Friday in C.O. wilderness areas

Smoking also banned, except in cleared areas

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- With continuing extreme temperatures and drying vegetation at higher elevations, the Deschutes National Forest, in coordination with the Willamette National Forest, announced it will implement public use restrictions within five wildernesses, beginning Friday.

Effective 12:01 a.m. Friday, open fires, including wood stoves and charcoal briquette fires, will be prohibited in all designated wildernesses on the Deschutes National Forest. These wildernesses include the Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Washington, Three Sisters, Diamond Peak and Mt. Thielsen.  

Under the public use restrictions, smoking also is prohibited unless in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable material. These public use restrictions are added to those that began last Friday on the Deschutes National Forest, which had excepted these wildernesses.

As a reminder, the public use restrictions implemented last Friday prohibited open fires, including wood stoves and charcoal briquette fires on the Deschutes National Forest, except in the following designated campgrounds: 

Crescent Ranger District: Contorta Flat, Contorta Point, Crescent Lake Resort and Campground, Odell Lake Resort and Campground, Princess Creek, Shelter Cove Resort and Campground, Simax Group Site, Spring, Sunset Cove, Trapper Creek, Whitefish Horse Camp, and Windy Group Site. 

Bend-Ft. Rock Ranger District: Big River Group Camp, Chief Paulina, Cinder Hill, Crane Prairie, Cultus Lake, East Lake, Elk Lake, Fall River, Fall River Guard Station, Gull Point, Lava Lake, Little Crater, Little Cultus Lake, Little Fawn, Little Fawn Group Camp, Little Lava Lake, Mallard Marsh, Newberry , North Twin, Ogden Group Camp, Paulina Lake, Point, Prairie, Quinn Meadow Horse Camp, Quinn River, Rock Creek, Sheep Bridge, South, South Twin, and West South Twin.

Sisters Ranger District: Allen Springs, Allingham, Blue Bay, Camp Sherman, Candle Creek, Cold Spring, Driftwood, Gorge, Graham Corral, Indian Ford, Jack Creek, Lava Camp Lake, Link Creek, Lower Bridge, Lower Canyon Creek, Perry South, Pine Rest, Pioneer Ford, Riverside, Scout Lake, Sheep Spring, Smiling River, South Shore, Three Creek Lake, Three Creek Meadow, Three Creek Horse Camp, and Whispering Pines Horse Camp.  

Public use restrictions protect the forest and visitors to the national forest. Every year lightning-caused fires place a heavy demand on firefighting resources and put our forests, firefighters, and communities at risk. Fires caused through human carelessness or negligence creates unnecessary, added risk. 

Officials also want to remind the public, as we enter the July Fourth weekend, that fireworks are prohibited year-round on all national forest lands. For current Central Oregon wildland fire information, the public can visit centraloregonfire.org or follow fire information on Twitter @CentralORfire.