Fire Season Continues In Oregon

Firefighters continue to battle more than a dozen large fires across Oregon, as this extended fire season continues.  And it should come as no surprise, much of that fire activity is primarily east of the Cascades.  Kaitlyn Webb, with the Deschutes National Forest, said vegetation is still very dry.

“We really are still in that fire danger rating of high, which means there is potential for a fire to start, even though we’re having cooler temperatures at night. We just have not had enough prolonged precipitation and cooler temperatures to really change that fire potential completely for the season.”

Most of central and eastern Oregon remains under a Moderate Drought designation … with a small section of southeast Oregon considered in severe drought.  Webb said a number of emergency fire closures remain in popular recreation areas.

“Definitely our goal [is] to reduce those as soon as we can. We know that there’s a huge desire out there to recreate and hunt in many of these areas. And, we appreciate the public’s patience as we work to reduce those as soon as we can and it’s safe to do so.”

Visitors to public lands are encouraged to check conditions for that area before heading out.  Some areas in the state no longer have any fire restrictions, while others are still considered in high fire danger.

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