Fire season began Wednesday morning in this part of Oregon.
We’ve got a breakdown of how to prepare, how Oregon’s evacuation system works, and more in this story.
As of Wednesday morning, here’s exactly what you can and can’t do if you reside in the areas covered by ODF’s fire season.
Industrial users are in Industrial Fire Precaution Level 1; the general public should follow rules set forth under the “low” fire danger level.
- No Debris Burning
- Smoking in designated locations
- No Fireworks
- No exploding targets, tracer ammunition or sky lanterns
- Equip each power saw with a shovel and fire extinguisher or gallon of water
- Provide a 1-hour fire watch after the use of each power saw
- Cutting, welding or grinding must be done in a clear area with a water supply
- No off-road driving, except approved OHV trails
While cooler temperatures and rain are in the forecast this week for our region of Oregon, the same is not true elsewhere in the state.
Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue was among several agencies from six counties who sent fire crews Tuesday to aid in the battle to contain two wildfires in Umatilla County, the Hat Rock Fire and Mount Hebron Fire, according to the Oregon State Fire Marshal.
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act in response to the wildfires.
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Gales Creek Journal and sister news publications the Banks Post and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.