July 15, 2021 9:30 a.m. 

The fire danger level is now Extreme on all ranger districts across the Umpqua National Forest.

Currently the Umpqua National Forest is operating at Industrial Fire Precaution Level 3, with Public Use Restrictions at Level 2.

Public Affairs Officer Steve Beri said fire danger is quickly increasing across the country and more recently across the northwest. Beri said the northwest region has reentered preparedness level 5 and is engaged on several large fires across Oregon and Washington.

Beri said on the Umpqua National Forest, in addition to being engaged with the Jack Fire, other scientific factors such as low fuel moisture, high energy release components and dry weather conditions with no forecasted precipitation, have created the conditions for a sustained wildfire season. Detailed Forest Fire Management Specialist Sara Billings said “We are seeing conditions and fire behavior this year that are months ahead of what we have historically seen”.

For more information on this or for other National Forest alerts, go to: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/umpqua/alerts-notices