Wildfire near Mt. Hood points to lingering danger

A wildfire that burned about 80 acres near Badger Lake east of Mt. Hood this week serves as a “stark reminder that conditions are still dry enough for a small fire to grow in a matter of hours,” Central Oregon fire chiefs said Friday.

With the devastating fire season across Oregon, the conditions are still exceptionally dry, they said.

“The small amounts of moisture some areas have received is not enough to abate the high fire risk throughout the region,” the fire chiefs said in a joint statement.

Residents are strongly encouraged to contact their local fire protection agencies for additional burning information and regulations. All Central Oregon fire departments and rural fire districts will continue to monitor weather and fuel moisture conditions in their district and may make modifications on a day-to-day basis.

Please call your local outdoor burning information line for your current conditions. If conditions begin to improve, individual agencies may choose to open local burning. Fire agencies will monitor fuels and fire conditions will open burn season when conditions allow.

“We would like to commend our residents in central Oregon on their vigilance this fire season”, said Crook County Fire District Chief Matt Smith, vice-chair of the Central Oregon Fire Chiefs Association.

“By abiding by the public use restrictions this summer, our residents prevented small fires from potentially causing many large fires that could have impacted our area severely,” Smith said.

“Even though specific areas in Central Oregon still may receive a bit of rain or even a spring snow shower, the region as a whole is experiencing an extreme drought this year”, Chief Smith added.

The Central Oregon Fire Chiefs Association strongly urged homeowners to prepare their property for next year’s fire season. Fortunately, there are alternatives to burning yard debris.

The fall FireFree events in Deschutes and Jefferson counties provide an opportunity for local residents to dispose of their debris inexpensively and legally. The FireFree days will begin in late October and will be available for selected dates during October and November in numerous locations to all Central Oregon residents.

Central Oregon fire chiefs’ federal partners (US Forest Service & Bureau of Land Management) will still be performing prescribed burns throughout the region to create more resilient landscapes across our Central Oregon landscape.

These prescribed burns will be conducted under carefully planned conditions such as: with federal fire resources, professional fire managers and firefighters on scene, favorable weather conditions and carefully planned land plots.

The prescribed burns improve forest health and reduce the forest fuels in order to lower the wildfire risk to our communities that is ever present during fire season when the conditions are even more extreme.

Lands protected by the Central Oregon District of the Oregon Department of Forestry remain in fire season with a regulated closure in effect which bans all open burning including campfires and warming fires.

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 season.