Forest Service firefighters to continue pile burning on Hwy. 97 near Lava Butte

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Firefighters on the Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District plan to resume pile burning operations Wednesday adjacent to Highway 97 between Lava Butte north to the weigh station on the west side of the highway.

Firefighters plan to ignite piles Wednesday and hope to complete ignitions in one day. Smoke and flames will be visible from the Highway 97 corridor. Signage will be in place to alert drivers of pile burning operations.

Piles may smolder, burn, and produce smoke for several days after ignition. Once ignited, firefighters monitor piles until they are declared out. Please do not report ignitions.

While smoke may linger in the area, removing these large accumulations of woody debris during the winter months minimizes fire danger. The piles are concentrations of leftover materials associated with vegetation management activities being done to help maintain and restore forest and ecosystem health while reducing hazardous fuels loading.

What does this mean for you?

The possibility exists for smoke to settle in low-lying areas due to cool night-time temperatures.

• When driving in smoky areas, drivers should slow down and turn on headlights
• If you have heart or lung disease, asthma, or other chronic conditions, ask your doctor about how to protect yourself from smoke
• Go to centraloregonfire.org to learn more about smoke safety and pile burning in Central Oregon

For more information on hazardous fuels reduction projects in Central Oregon, visit centraloregonfire.org/ or fs.usda.gov/deschutes and follow on Twitter @CentralORFire. Text “COFIRE to 888-777 to receive wildfire and prescribed fire text alerts.