Two escaped weekend burns prompt reminders

Two escaped burns in Central Oregon over the weekend prompted fire officials to remind residents to take caution in outdoor burning and follow the regulations, in the remaining days that such burning is allowed.

Bend firefighters responded to an out-of-control ditch bank burn around 12:50 p.m. on Sunday at a property in the 65000 block of Cline Falls Road, southwest of Redmond in the Tumalo area, said Capt. Karl Findling.

The property owner had asked a friend to assist him, but a wind shift caused the fire to escape their containment lines, moving the fire into some trees, a stored vehicle and a five-acre field, Findling said.

Firefighters issued a notice of violation to the property owner for burning without a permit, Findling said.

It was the second such fire of the weekend, as another occurred near Four Mile Butte west of Sisters on Saturday, an escaped debris pile that burned about four acres before it was contained, including a small portion on the Deschutes National Forest.

Outdoor burning season in the region is scheduled to close May 1 st .

In the meantime, Findling reminded outdoor burning participants to read and know the terms and conditions, have a burn permit in hand and have your property inspected before lighting it, if applicable.

Also, he said, have appropriate firefighting aids on hand and call the burn information number before lighting your fire.

“If winds pick up while burning, it may be best to extinguish your fire and try another day,” he said. “Knowing local weather can also aid in determining the best time to burn your ditch, field or commercial burn.