April 14, 2021 3:40 a.m.

Warm and dry spring weather is leading to a call for caution from state fire officials.

Tom Fields, Fire Prevention Coordinator for the Oregon Department of Forestry said 2021 has already produced nearly three times the average number of fires to date. Fields said many of those resulted from escaped backyard debris burns piles. As of Tuesday, 70 fires have burned 402 acres on ODF lands. 40 of those came from debris burning that accounted for 154 acres.

While fire season has not officially started, experts say to watch the conditions and not the calendar. Fields said, “The window of opportunity to clean up around homes and dispose of woody debris in a safe manner is narrowing each year. Now is the time to reassess and wait for better conditions”.

The ODF release said if burning is a resident’s choice for debris disposal, the window to burn this spring may already be closed and it may be best to wait until late fall or winter to burn debris safely.