Fire danger to rise to 'Moderate' Thursday
In advance of Independence Day, the Oregon Department of Forestry is raising fire danger from low to moderate in areas in and around the Tillamook Forest.
In advance of Independence Day, the Oregon Department of Forestry is raising fire danger from low to moderate in areas in and around the Tillamook Forest.
At 12:01 a.m. Thursday, July 3, fire danger will be set to Moderate or Blue in all three zones of the Northwest Oregon Forest Protective Association (NWOFPA).
Fire season began June 23 in the region.
The NWOFPA region includes much of the regions of Gales Creek, Buxton, Timber, Manning, and the Tillamook State Forest, among other areas. It stretches north to the Columbia River, west to the Pacific Ocean, south to Sheridan, and east to parts of Gales Creek, the Killin Wetlands outside of Banks and to Scappoose.
The public and industrial users of local forests can stay informed of current fire restrictions by visiting the agency’s Fire Restrictions & Closures website or calling their local ODF or protective association office, in this case, Forest Grove ODF offices for most of our readers at 503-357-2191.
As of July 1, all lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry had entered fire season.
“We have already experienced several large fires in the state this year and anticipate fire behavior to be progressively more volatile. RIGHT NOW is the time to practice fire prevention and preparedness,” said Michael Curran, Oregon Department of Forestry’s Fire Protection Division Chief.
"As we move into the Fourth of July and the holiday weekend, it’s important to remember that forests and fireworks DO NOT MIX. Private use of fireworks is not allowed on forest land, which includes all private lands protected by ODF and all other state and federal forest lands in Oregon. Remember to check any additional city and county firework restrictions as well," ODF said.
The department urged common sense tactics to reduce the risk of human-caused wildfires, including:
🔥 Know before you go
- Campfires may be banned or only allowed in approved campgrounds.
- Make sure your campfire is cool to the touch before going to sleep or leaving your site. Don’t forget to Drown, Stir, Repeat.
- Backyard debris burning either requires a burn permit during fire season or is prohibited altogether. If you burned earlier this spring, go back and check on your debris burn site to make sure nothing reignites due to the heat.
- Don’t flick a cigarette onto the ground. It may be just enough to start a fire.
- Don’t park or idle over dried grass.
- Don’t drag tow chains.
- Check local restrictions and fire danger levels.
“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.”
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.
