If You Start A Wildfire: What’s Next?
If a campfire gets out of control, and ignites the next major wildfire on the high desert, the person responsible could face fines, community service or even jail time, depending on the situation.
Summer in Central Oregon means taking advantage of the outdoors. One of the best ways to do so is good old-fashioned camping.
But that campfire can turn dangerous in just moments, if left unattended or not properly and fully extinguished.
“This area has a lot of cheatgrass, and what that means is you have a really light fuel — and all it takes is one spark,” said Lisa Clark, with Central Oregon Fire Management. “One gust of wind coming across your campfire may be all that it takes.”
Whether it’s a campfire, cigarette butt, or mechanical spark, officials say one-third of wildfires are human-caused. Fire officials say most of the time it’s someone being careless, but that mistake holds a hefty price tag.
“If you leave your campfire unattended, and that could just be leaving to go fishing, leaving to go to bed at night, you’re not there actually watching it, that could be a minimum $500 ticket,” said Clark.
If the flames escape and spark a major place, the person who started the campfire could be held responsible for the cost of putting it out. It can even lead to criminal charges if structures are damaged or someone is injured or killed.
Although officials say arson is rare, if the suspect is caught, they will spend time behind bars.
“If someone intentionally sets a fire on public lands, generally speaking, it could be up to five years in jail if prosecuted successfully,” said District Law Enforcement Officer, Michael Baldree. “But it goes up from there, depending on the type of situation, like what go burnt or if anyone got injured.”
As summer continues and the fire threat worsens, many campgrounds ban any blazes on the premises. Although signs will be posted, it’s the campers’ responsibility to find out the restrictions, or face that large fine.
“If the areas been closed for the season, it’s closed for a reason,” Baldree said. “It’s closed because it’s a high fire threat and a high fire danger. It could possibly lead to severe consequences.”
Escaped transient campfires and party bonfires make up many of the blazes.
Lookouts, law enforcement and fire prevention tech staff patrol the High Desert, to make sure people are being safe. The best way to make sure the fire is completely out, is to take time.
“They could just take a couple of minutes,” said Clark. “Use a shovel and a bucket of water, and drown and stir that campfire til it’s dead out.”
