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The 2019 fire season will officially begin Tuesday, June 11th at 12:01 a.m. on all lands that are protected by the Douglas Forest Protective Association. The declaration of fire season imposes certain fire restrictions on both the general public and industrial operators to help prevent wildfires.
With the declaration of fire season, the use of exploding targets and tracer ammunition are prohibited within the Douglas District. In addition, the use of Sky Lanterns are prohibited year-round in Oregon.
The start of fire season also means the end of unregulated outside debris burning for rural Douglas County residents. Due to poor burning conditions which have come earlier this year than normal, burn permits for debris piles and burn barrels will not be issued. Those wishing to burn yard debris before Tuesday are encouraged to exercise caution and are reminded to never leave the burn unattended. In addition, fire officials recommend checking any debris piles that were burned earlier this spring. If not properly extinguished, burn piles have the potential of smoldering for weeks, or even months, before popping back to life on a warm, windy day.
The declaration of fire season also means the start of industrial fire regulations. On Tuesday, the entire Douglas District will go into Industrial Fire Precaution Level I (one.) During IFPL I, smoking is prohibited while working on, or traveling through, an industrial operation. In addition, specified fire tools and suppression equipment must be on site and ready for use at all industrial operations taking place within the Douglas District. A fire watch is also required once work has completed for the day.
As fire season progresses, additional public and industrial fire restrictions may be imposed as fire conditions become more severe. An interactive map with state wide fire restrictions can be viewed online at https://gisapps.odf.oregon.gov/firerestrictions/PFR.html
