April 28, 2020 10:10 a.m.
May, which begins on Friday, is Wildfire Awareness Month and the Keep Oregon Green Association in partnership with federal, state and local fire agencies and organizations, is encouraging the public to create defensible space around homes this spring and to prevent the start of careless, unwanted fires.
During the 2019 season, 250,000 acres in the northwest were consumed by wildfire, with almost 80,000 acres burned in Oregon. The release said people were responsible for starting 1,192 fires that burned around 22,000 acres. The gross-fire cost to the Oregon Department of Forestry was $32.8 million. Each year, over 70 percent of Oregon’s wildfires are started by people. Many are a result of escaped debris burning and campfires left unattended.
The release said before heading outdoors, residents should contact the agency or landowner who manages the lands they are going to, to get an update on current fire restrictions or bans. Any visitor to Oregon’s natural areas, should review those restrictions before building campfires, burning debris, or using equipment that could ignite dry vegetation.