With an early onset of above-normal temperatures, rapid snowmelt and consecutive days of below-normal rainfall, fire season is off to an early start in the Pacific Northwest. These critical fire weather conditions and the potential for growing wildfires are prompting firefighting agencies to begin implementing fire regulations earlier than normal, officials said Wednesday.
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Warm Springs firefighters, assisted by a Jefferson County structural protection task force, stopped two grass fires that broke out Tuesday afternoon and threatened homes, prompting road closures, roadblocks and evacuation of the Warm Springs K-8 Academy
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With nearly two-dozen wildfires tackled already this year — about half of them escaped debris burns — fire season on all lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Central Oregon District will begin Friday at at 12:01 a.m., the agency announced Tuesday.
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The Bend-Fort Ranger District plans to conduct a five-acre prescribed burn Monday morning near Sunriver to generate a training environment for students enrolled in the Forest Service’s fire investigator class.
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A fire destroyed a motor home at Thousand Trails RV Park south of Sunriver late Saturday afternoon and was spreading to grass and trees when the first fire crew arrived to slow its spread, helping save other RVs and campers, La Pine fire officials said.
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Residents escaped a fire late Friday night that heavily damaged a home northeast of Redmond – caused by the heat of a butane lighter on a bed – but two dogs were taken from the home by firefighters and given oxygen to recover.
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A suspected human-caused brush fire west of Sisters Wednesday afternoon was quickly put out by crews from several area agencies, stopping the blaze at about a quarter-acre, the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District said Thursday.
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A Sisters High School freshman was arrested on arson and other charges Wednesday after she allegedly set fires in two girls’ restrooms, prompting evacuation of the school and causing smoke to billow through areas of the building, authorities said.
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A 300-acre wildfire in steep terrain about 10 miles southwest of Veneta has been fully lined, and mop-up operations are making progress, Oregon Department of Forestry officials said Tuesday.
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Forest Service and BLM workers found and dealt with five abandoned campfires over the Memorial Day weekend, including one one on the Ochoco National Forest that was still showing flames and prompted call-out of an engine crew to make sure it was fully out.
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A roof and attic fire heavily damaged a La Pine home Sunday afternoon, and while the people inside escaped unhurt, it’s believed two cats perished, a fire official said.
Continue Reading Firefighters on the Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District plan to continue prescribed burning operations east of Sunriver on Friday, if conditions remain favorable.
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With Central Oregon’s debris burn season set to close in a week, people with yard debris or other items to ignite are seeking permits, and that’s led to two escaped burns near Sisters in less than 24 hours.
Continue Reading If you see smoke in the air, it’s fire, of course — but of late, it’s usually prescribed burns, not wildfires.
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CRESCENT, Ore. (KTVZ) – Firefighters on the Crescent Ranger District plan to ignite up to 51 acres in a prescribed burn six miles southwest of Crescent, 1 1/2 miles west of Highway 97 and a half-mile from Highway 58, near milepost 88.
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Firefighters on the Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District plan to continue prescribed burn operations for a third day Wednesday in an area three miles southwest of Sunriver, immediately west of the Three Rivers neighborhood and south of Ann’s Butte.
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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Firefighters rescued over a dozen people and three dogs from a dramatic apartment building fire Tuesday in downtown Portland, Oregon. Portland Fire & Rescue tweeted about 10:45 a.m. that they had responded to the blaze and shortly after said rescues were underway. Fire officials said before noon that firefighters had been
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A small early-season brush fire broke out north of Camp Sherman on Saturday afternoon, bringing out engine crews from several agencies to stop its spread.
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The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of a fire early Sunday morning that heavily damaged a downtown Madras bar and prompted evacuation of adjacent apartments, authorities said.
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A fire destroyed a detached garage in northeast Bend Saturday night and spread to the nearby home, trees and several vehicles, putting up tall flames and smoke and prompting initial evacuation of nearby homes, officials said Sunday.
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