It's time to put a lid on the burn barrel for the season. Starting Sunday, July 1, burn barrel use will not be allowed on lands protected by the Oregon Dept. of Forestry in Jackson and Josephine counties.
Since June 20, when fire season began, burn barrel use was allowed provided the landowner had a permit from the Oregon Dept. of Forestry and the structural fire protection district. Starting tomorrow, all open burning is banned until fire season ends. This ban includes burning piles of debris and barrel burning. The open burning ban also includes burning ditches and fields, and any other use of fire on the land.
Campfires are allowed provided they are inside of a fire pit with a metal or rock ring, and have adequate vertical and horizontal clearance from nearby vegetation. Always extinguish a campfire when leaving the campsite or going to bed.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Colorado Springs Wildfire Burns Hundreds of Homes
It's been a grim month in Colorado due to wind-whipped wildfires burning through residential areas near Fort Collins and, most recently, Colorado Springs. In the past 48 hours, hundreds of homes have been destroyed by flames in the city of Colorado Springs, the state's second-largest city.
While southwest Oregon enjoys a mild start to its fire season, it is useful to read or watch the news stories about the wildfires in the Intermountain West, where large and destructive wildfires are burning in Montana, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. Clearly, effective evacuation alerts and pre-planning for emergencies have saved countless lives.
While southwest Oregon rarely experiences wildfires of the size and ferocity of these, it is common to have fast-moving fires that erupt quickly, and threaten or burn homes in urban-fringe and rural areas. Now is the time to ask fundamental questions and devote thought to how to react if a wildfire threatens your neighborhood.
Both Jackson and Josephine counties have disaster planning guides for familes. These pages also have links to other sites with useful information for emergency planning, and protecting your home against wildfire and other natural disasters. The next few weeks is a good time to plan for southwestern Oregon's fire season, which typically becomes a serious matter from mid-July through September.
While southwest Oregon enjoys a mild start to its fire season, it is useful to read or watch the news stories about the wildfires in the Intermountain West, where large and destructive wildfires are burning in Montana, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. Clearly, effective evacuation alerts and pre-planning for emergencies have saved countless lives.
While southwest Oregon rarely experiences wildfires of the size and ferocity of these, it is common to have fast-moving fires that erupt quickly, and threaten or burn homes in urban-fringe and rural areas. Now is the time to ask fundamental questions and devote thought to how to react if a wildfire threatens your neighborhood.
- Where will I go if advised to evacuate?
- What will I take?
- Will my house survive a wildfire?
- Am I adequately insured to replace my house and its contents?
Both Jackson and Josephine counties have disaster planning guides for familes. These pages also have links to other sites with useful information for emergency planning, and protecting your home against wildfire and other natural disasters. The next few weeks is a good time to plan for southwestern Oregon's fire season, which typically becomes a serious matter from mid-July through September.
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