BLM, USFS continue pile burning in C. Oregon

Fuels specialists for the Prineville Bureau of Land Management began burning piles Wednesday three miles southwest of Tumalo. The northern boundary of the 253-acre unit of piles is adjacent to Tumalo Reservoir Road and smoke could be visible from the road.

Pile burning will continue Thursday and potentially through the weekend, if conditions remain favorable. The unit was thinned in a commercial timber sale to reduce hazardous fuels and these piles are accumulations of leftover woody debris that can burn in summer wildfires.

Burning also continues on the Deschutes National Forest, with fuels specialists burning large piles of woody debris left over from commercial timber sales along Cascade Lakes Highway near Cascade Lakes Welcome Station and near Highway 97 between State Rec Road and Finley Butte Road.

Piles may smolder, burn, and produce smoke for several days after ignition. No closures are anticipated with these operations. However, if smoke drifts on to roads, motorists should slow down, turn on headlights and proceed with care. Once ignited, units are monitored by firefighters until they are declared out.

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