Two last Jefferson County weed burns before season closes get away in gusty winds before firefighters corral them

MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) – Central Oregon’s outdoor debris burning season closes Saturday. That meant some with materials they wished to burn were doing so Friday – and in at least two locations along US Highway 97 in Jefferson County, gusty winds meant firefighters needed to help corral them.

In both cases, people were “doing weed-burning before the season closes, and a couple of wind gusts got it away from them,” Jefferson County Fire & EMS Chief Jeff Blake said.

The first, near milepost 103, eight miles south of Madras, burned about an acre. The second, about five miles to the north, burned about 300 square feet, but also got into some wooden pallets, Blake said.

Neither caused any real property damage, he said, but served as a timeline “reminder that burning closes tomorrow.”