Oregon state parks ban campfires, open flames

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department has prohibited all campfires in Oregon state parks and other properties owned and managed by the department as of 10 a.m. Wednesday.

The ban includes but is not limited to designated fire pits, tiki torches and candles. The ban also extends to fires on ocean beaches, officials said.

“Our goal is to avoid any accidental fires on OPRD property that would further tax limited firefighting resources,” said MG Devereux, OPRD deputy director. “Most communities have sent local firefighters and equipment to help with wildfires throughout the state. An unintentional fire in a state park would add an unnecessary burden to firefighting efforts.”

The state park ban doesn’t apply to propane stoves and/or charcoal briquettes for cooking, but there may be local fire restrictions that do limit propane stoves and briquettes.

Visitors planning a trip should check with park staff for the most current information, or by calling the state park information line at (800) 551-6949 or visiting http://www.oregonstateparks.org/

“This ban will remain in effect for at least one week and will be re-evaluated based on fire status, weather, and guidance from state and local fire officials,” the announcement stated.

Meanwhile, due to the very high and extreme fire danger, and the multiple large fires in the region, most land agencies and fire jurisdictions now have a total burn ban in place. The Central Oregon Fire Chiefs Association strongly advised Wednesday if you were planning to go camping and having a campfire or planning on a backyard campfire fire first check with your local fire agency by calling their business number, burn line or checking their informational web sites.

Have a plan “B” in the likelihood campfires are banned right now in your area: Propane and “Coleman” type stoves and gas BBQs are still permissible in most areas and s’mores parties may be needed to have ice cream instead of roasted marshmallows.

The rundown as of Tuesday

All Federal lands and campgrounds in Central Oregon have a total burn ban including campfires.
All State Forest, State Parks, and private protected forest lands (Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) fire patrol districts) have a total burn ban including campfires.
All unprotected lands (no fire service or jurisdiction) in Deschutes County have a total burn ban in place including campfires.
Most rural fire districts within the ODF fire patrol regions have a total burn ban in place including campfires.
Many individual home owner association and resort communities have burn bans in place.
Individual incorporated cities or other rural fire district have varying burn regulations but are recommending voluntary compliance with no campfires while we are in this danger period.

The reason for this abundance of caution is the current fire danger, the forecast for continued warm and very dry conditions for the foreseeable future (week or more) and fire resources are currently very limited.

Many of the area’s fire resources are helping other communities with current fires and all national and state resources have been tapped out.

It is true that we do not hear of a campfire often starting major wildfires, in comparison to lightning, but that is because most escaped campfires do not make the news, as they are caught early by either by campground host and/or maintenance personal, or fire patrols or initial attack fire crews, the fire chiefs said.

“Many of those have resources are now helping protect our neighbors, they said, “and we all cannot afford a single escaped campfire right now. So the Central Oregon Fire Chiefs are asking your help to get all of us through the extraordinary fire season safely.”

Visit the FireFree website at www.firefree.org or call 541-322-7129 for the FireFree dates or more information about how you can prepare your property for wildfire