Central Oregon – In the past month, Central Oregon has had numerous human caused fires. Now, Oregon State Police along with the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement, Bureau of Land Management, Oregon Department of Forestry and Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office believe that several of those fires were intentionally started. Specific details will not be released while investigations are ongoing.
While an investigation by all cooperating agencies is in progress, we would like to urge the public to report suspicious activity on public lands by calling the Oregon State Police at 503-375-3555 or if it is an emergency, call 9-1-1.
Central Oregon is currently in the peak of its fire season and the fire danger level is EXTREME with very dry fuels and continued hot and dry weather in the forecast. The public is reminded that every wildfire puts our firefighters, visitors, residents and properties in danger.
In addition to the arson fires, our firefighters have responded to numerous abandoned or escaped campfires. Campfires should never be left unattended and should be cold to the touch whenever they are left. Additionally, please properly dispose of cigarette butts, park only in areas clear of vegetation, and in general use caution while working and recreating.
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My comment once again with no response, Band all outdoor fires, period, people will not do what they should do about proper fire safety no matter the extreme conditions.
ReplyDeleteOh, great idea! Just make another rule that everyone will NOT follow.
DeleteShould be an especially hot place in hell for people that start fires intentionally!
ReplyDeleteIt all has to do with Common sense, folks who camp and have a camp fire should always have a bucket of water, five gallons preferably and a shovel, so, when they do leave those fires can be put out safely and it's the smart way to go.
ReplyDeleteAnd for those who smoke, should never light up in the forest or woods when fuels are dry as they are now, makes the vegetation more suspectible to starting fires, common sense says say s the drag can wait, smoke inside your car and not dry fuels of the woods or where people recreate.
And NEVER toss the butt out! Put it in the car's ashtray or a container with water in the bottom.
DeleteIs the forest service listening, i was talking about a fire band just during this Red Flag period, not forever.
ReplyDeleteI am the Public Affairs Specialist for the Deschutes National Forest.
DeleteWe look at a number of indices when thinking about going into Public Use Restrictions, which includes campfire restrictions. The overwhelming majority of the public is responsible with their campfires so it is always a challenge to balance public safety with visitor experience. However, we are looking at some of those restrictions being put into place next week. We will post that information here when we the restrictions go into effect. Thanks for your comments.