600 acres of prescribed burns planned later this week SW of Sisters

SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Depending upon weather, starting Wednesday and continuing Thursday and Friday, fuels specialists on the Deschutes National Forest will ignite several prescribed fires on the Sisters Ranger District, for a total of about 600 acres.

 The prescribed burns will occur in the Sisters Area Fuels Reduction (SAFR) Project area, about three miles southwest of Sisters along the 1505 Road (SAFR 10). Smoke will be highly visible from the community of Sisters.

Nearby residents and businesses are advised to keep their windows and doors closed during the night as the cooling in the evening can hold residual smoke closer to the ground. If smoke drifts onto local roads, motorists should slow down, turn on headlights and proceed with care. 

Fuels specialists will follow policies outlined in the Oregon Department of Forestry smoke management plan, which governs prescribed fires, and attempts to minimize impacts to visibility and public health.  Once ignited, units are monitored and patrolled until they are declared out. 

For more information, visit the interactive website at http://www.centraloregonfire.org/  or visit  www.fs.usda.gov/deschutes and follow us on Twitter @CentralORFire. For specific questions, please call the Sisters Ranger District front desk at (541)-549-7700.

The public is invited to the Sisters Ranger District Open House to learn more about planned prescribed burns on the District and the 2021 potential for wildfires. The Virtual Open House is set for Tuesday, April 13, from 5 to 7 p.m. Those interested can connect through MS Teams or Facebook: http://bit.ly/SistersRDOpenHouse2021  or https://www.facebook.com/deschutesnationalforest.