All Oregon Department of Forestry districts now in fire season

Every Oregon Department of Forestry district is now in fire season, the agency said Monday, with the Northwest Oregon Area the last in the state to declare. That includes the forestland in and around Forest Grove, Gales Creek, Banks and the Tillamook State Forest. The June 15 start took effect the same morning a high-fire danger burn ban began across Washington County, where the county’s fire agencies have banned most outdoor burning ahead of a hot, dry stretch. ODF declares fire season locally, district by district, when conditions make a fire likely to start and spread. The Central Oregon district was first this year, declaring on May 8. With northwest Oregon now added, fire restrictions are possible on ODF-protected land anywhere in the state. “Looking at the current conditions and projections for the summer, ODF is prepared to have another busy fire season,” said Michael Curran, the agency’s Fire Protection Division Chief. “Oregonians need to be practicing wildfire prevention and emergency preparedness now.” Once fire season begins, backyard debris burning either requires a permit or is prohibited outright, and private use of fireworks is banned on all forestland protected by ODF. The agency also asks residents not to flick cigarettes onto the ground, park or idle vehicles over dried grass, or drag tow chains, any of which can throw enough heat or sparks to start a fire. Anyone who burned debris this spring should check the site again to make sure it has not reignited in the heat. Across Washington County, the burn ban that took effect Monday prohibits backyard and open burning, agricultural burning, and other land-clearing, slash and debris burning. Small cooking, warming and recreational fires are still allowed, along with barbecue grills and smokers, as News in the Grove reported. Every fire agency in the county enacted the ban on the recommendation of the Washington County Fire Defense Board. When fire season opened, ODF planned to set a Regulated Use level of Low for the public and an Industrial Fire Precaution Level of 1 across its three northwest Oregon zones, News in the Grove reported. Burning debris on ODF-protected land is prohibited without a permit at all times during fire season. “Prevention is our number one tool to reduce property loss, firefighting costs, and risk to the lives of our firefighters,” Curran said. “We can’t prevent lightning fires, but we can prevent human-caused fires.” Residents can check current fire restrictions and danger levels on ODF’s Fire Restrictions & Closures website or by calling their local ODF office, which for most area readers is the Forest Grove office at 503-357-2191. Real-time fire season alerts for the Forest Grove, Tillamook and Astoria districts are available by texting “NWOA” to 877-274-4067. More wildfire prevention tips are at keeporegongreen.org.