A TOTAL OF 9 FIRES SPARKED IN THE UMPQUA NATIONAL FOREST OVER THE WEEKEND

August 12, 2019 5:15 a.m. 
As of Sunday morning, resources have responded to 9 fires across the forest.
According to Emily Veale with the Umpqua National Forest, 4 of the fires were on the Diamond Lake Ranger District, another 4 on the Tiller Ranger District and one on the Cottage Grove Ranger District which was an abandoned campfire. The largest fire was estimated to be stopped at about 2/10 of an acre.
With cooler temperatures and additional precipitation, fire activity remained minimal but initial attack resources continue to respond new smoke reports. Fire managers scheduled a fixed wing aircraft reconnaissance flight over forest lands Sunday afternoon to help detect any additional wildfires.
This week a clearing and drying trend is in the forecast.
In spite of rainfall that was received with Friday and Saturday’s thunderstorms public use restrictions will remain in place.
Veale says on average, human-caused wildfires make up 87% of all wildfires annually.
The use of fire restrictions helps to minimize the number of human-caused fires. It is imperative to maintain awareness of fire danger levels and current fire restrictions to help keep you and our community safe.
Veale is reminding residents to remember, even if your campfire is in a campfire ring it must be completely extinguished before leaving your camping area.
Visit the Umpqua National Forest website for additional details.