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Fire

Wildfire preparedness: Rep. Bynum joins Central Oregon leaders to urge residents to prepare now

(Update: adding comments from Rep. Bynum, Sisters Mayor, and Fire Defense Board member) SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ) — With wildfire risk no longer confined to a few months, local and federal leaders are urging Central Oregonians to prepare now, before the next fire sparks. Oregon Representative, Congresswoman Janelle Bynum, met Monday with local leaders and fire

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Prescribed burns across Central Oregon: how agencies track smoke and protect air quality

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — As prescribed burning ramps up across Central Oregon, state and local agencies say a combination of real-time monitoring, weather modeling and community planning is key to limiting smoke impacts in Bend and surrounding areas. The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) relies on meteorologists who track air quality using Department of Environmental

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Burn alert: Up to 120 acres of prescribed burning planned Thursday southwest of Lake Billy Chinook

Update: Adding video SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ) โ€” Firefighters on the Sisters Ranger District are planning prescribed burning ignitions Thursday, if conditions are favorable. Firefighters plan to conduct up to 120 acres of ignitions on Flymon 7 South Prescribed Burn, located 5 miles southwest of Lake Billy Chinook, the Deschutes National Forest said Wednesday in a news

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Home-hardening

City of Bend’s new ‘home-hardening’ rules to reduce wildfire threat will take effect May 15

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The city of Bend will enact “home-hardening” requirements on May 15 for new homes, to improve their resiliency in the face of any future wildfires. The Bend City Council recently adoptedย Section R327 of the Oregon Residential Specialty Code, establishing the homeโ€‘hardening requirements designed to improve wildfire resilience for new, detached residential

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Diamond Swamp Fire

Early-season wildfire burns nearly 260 acres in swampy area of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge

DIAMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) —ย Firefighters have madeย good progressย inย containingย aย nearly 260-acreย wildfire that broke out earlier this week in a swampy area of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Harney County’s first wildfire of the season. The Diamond Swamp Fire was reported Tuesday a few miles northwest of the town of Diamond and about 60 miles southeast of Burns, Bureau

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