A Red Flag Warning issued Tuesday afternoon will be effective starting 5 p.m. Tuesday and extending through 8 a.m. Wednesday due to a chance of thunderstorms in much of Oregon east of the Coast Range.
Lightning and critically dry fuels may result in numerous fire starts, the NWS said in their warning.
“Critical fire danger is forecasted with dry conditions, hot temps, and lightning. Please don’t spark a fire,” the Oregon State Fire Marshal, already grappling with numerous wildfires throughout Oregon, said in a social media post.
While areas like Timber and other northern Coast Range communities are not included in the Red Flag Warning, Gales Creek and Banks and the surrounding areas are.
View a detailed map of the area online.
For areas protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) in this part of Northwestern Oregon, there will be no changes in wildfire danger.
“We are holding steady at current fire danger levels for now,” ODF Forest Grove District Forester Mike Cafferata said in an email Tuesday afternoon.
“Statewide the fire situation is critical, with several uncontained large fires,” he added.
Several local firefighting resources are deployed at different wildfires throughout the state, and recent days have seen local ODF crews, firefighters from Banks Fire and Forest Grove Fire & Rescue and other area fire agencies heading to fires.
“ODF has received more than 58 resources from New Mexico, Idaho, Montana, Oklahoma, Texas, Georgia, Colorado, and Florida to assist in the Salt Creek and Larch Creek fires,” the Oregon Department of Forestry said.
13 more from Florida will arrive soon, the agency said.
“The majority of the fires we’ve seen so far this fire season are due to—likely unintentionally—someone’s actions,” ODF said. “Please, know the fire danger level of the areas where you live, work and play, and follow all local restrictions on burning, equipment use, campfires and other activities that can start wildfires.”
The public and industrial users of local forests can also stay informed of current fire restrictions by visiting the agency’s Fire Restrictions & Closures website.
Sign up for text alerts
Sign up for text alerts for real time fire season information in the Forest Grove, Tillamook, and Astoria ODF districts by texting “NWOA” to 877-274-4067.
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.
