Sisters-area fire districts remind residents that open burning remains closed as fire danger lingers
SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Due to the lack of significant rainfall and continued warm temperatures, open burning within the Black Butte Ranch, Cloverdale and Sisters-Camp Sherman fire districts remains closed as of Thursday, officials reminded.
Central Oregon fire chiefs and partner agencies will meet again in mid-October to re-evaluate conditions and may open burning towards the end of October, the agencies said in a Thursday news release, which continues in full below:
What’s currently prohibited in residential areas? Backyard or open burning (branches, yard debris, etc.), agricultural burning (waste crops, field burning), land clearing, slash, or stump waste.
In an effort to help residents get prepared for the backyard burning season, the Fire District is partnering with Oregon Department of Forestry to provide 4’x6’ sheets of wax paper to cover your debris piles, keeping them dry so they burn cleaner, and allowing you to wait until there is snow on the ground before you light your pile. If you are interested in this program, please contact the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District at 541-549-0771.
What’s currently allowed in residential areas? “Recreational fires”: Small cooking/warming fires in portable or permanent fire pits, fire tables, or campfires, barbecue grills, smokers, and similar appliances using clean, dry firewood, briquettes, propane, or natural gas. Note: Black Butte Ranch does not allow briquette barbecues or firewood unless it is in an approved outdoor fireplace that has a chimney spark arrester. Remember all fires must be fully extinguished after use and kept clear of combustibles!
The local Fire Districts only regulate recreational fires in residential areas (private property). For restrictions on campfires in campgrounds or dispersed camp sites on the National Forest, residents and visitors should call the Sisters Ranger District at 541-549-7700 or visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/deschutes/home/?cid=stelprdb5297376.
Residents are strongly encouraged to contact their local fire protection agencies for additional burning information and regulations. Please note that some municipalities such as the City of Sisters do not allow yard debris burning at any time during the year within their jurisdictions, and certain homeowner’s associations may have further restrictions in place.
In addition, most property within Sisters Country are dually protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry and may have additional rules on campfires, smoking, and equipment use. To contact Oregon Department of Forestry staff, call 541-549-2731.
If your property is currently registered for a burn permit with the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District or the Cloverdale Fire District, we are excited to share some important updates to the Burn Permit App and burn permit system. The app will be rebranded as Before You Burn, offering the same functionality you’re familiar with, but with enhanced features and new tools.
The new system includes weather information for your area, agency boundary maps to indicate if your property is protected by other agencies in addition to your local Fire District and includes any restrictions those agencies have in place for burning.
The Burn Permits app has been removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Users with the app already installed will no longer be able to access their accounts via the mobile app, but you will be able to access your account through our website www.sistersfire.com or if you are a Cloverdale resident at https://www.cloverdalefire.com/ The new phone app will be available in late October.
If you haven’t already created an account to register your burn, you can access the online system to register your property by visiting www.sistersfire.com (For Sisters residents) or https://www.cloverdalefire.com/ (for Cloverdale residents). Residents in the Sisters-Camp Sherman and Cloverdale Fire Districts should register their address and schedule their burn days using the online system.
When debris burning opens, residents that have previously registered their address in the system should still check burning status daily and schedule a burn through the online system for each day they intend to burn. The requirement to check in each day is based on changing atmospheric and weather conditions such as wind or air dryness. The Fire District’s on-duty Shift Commanders will make a determination and update the system before 8 a.m. each day regarding whether burning will be allowed within the District.
Residents in Black Butte Ranch Fire District should contact the fire department at 541-595-2288 to schedule a burn.
Safety during open burn season is of the utmost importance. The online reporting system allows Fire District staff the ability to see who is burning on a daily basis, immediately notify users of changing conditions, message important fire safety information, ensure that those planning to burn are aware of the City of Sisters outdoor burn ban, and that the right jurisdiction is being notified of the planned burn.
Local fire departments 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 fire agency for more information.
Let’s all continue to use extreme caution and help prevent wildfires. Violating the burn ban could result in legal consequences and fire response costs.
