S. Calif. wildfire harbinger of Oregon’s fire season

A wildfire 35 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles heeds a warning to Oregonians as the summer fire season approaches, officials warned Thursday.

The fire, caused by an unattended cooking fire, led to the evacuation of 300 homes in Riverside County.

While a fourth consecutive year of drought in California is prompting an early start to their fire season, Oregon Department of Forestry Meteorologist Nick Yonker says Oregon finds itself in a similar situation.

“With drought conditions throughout most of the state and extreme drought over southeast Oregon, we could easily have another above normal fire season,” Yonker said.

Yonker is referring to the agency’s past two fire seasons, when more than 150,000 acres burned and fire suppression costs topped $200 million.

The historical back-to-back fire seasons led to a substantial change in ODF’s fire insurance policy, doubling the policy’s annual deductible to $50 million and nearly doubling the premium from $2 million to $3.75 million.

Adding insult to injury, Yonker adds that the state is experiencing the lowest snowpack conditions in nearly 40 years.

Drought, extreme fire danger and lightning have played significant roles the past two fire seasons. According to ODF Fire Prevention Coordinator Tom Fields, while the number of lightning-caused fires have doubled over the past two summers, people are still responsible for the lion’s share.

“We desperately need everyone’s full cooperation and help in keeping fires from starting and spreading,” Fields says. “Illegally burning yard debris on hot, windy days, leaving campfires smoldering, or target shooting near dry vegetation are all things we can abstain from to prevent the next large wildfire. There are still too many instances where careless actions lead to unnecessary fires.”

Fields points to the 2014 Moccasin Hill Fire outside Klamath Falls as a good example of carelessness leading to destruction. In that case, a human-caused fire that remains under investigation ignited under dry, windy conditions. The fire swept through a neighborhood, destroying 17 homes.

While the start of fire season may be less than one month away in some areas, fire professionals are quick to point out that landscapes are becoming more vulnerable to fire and the public needs to exercise caution.

For more information on how you can help make 2015 a successful fire season, contact the Oregon Department of Forestry office or fire department in your area.