Fire season underway in SW Oregon, 7K Fire coming under control, heat ramps up
Fire season officially begins Thursday in southwest Oregon as an increasing number of wildfires pop up statewide, including outside Eugene, amid a stretch of hot and dry weather.
It’s not unusual for a few wildfires to spark in late May, mostly from escaped pile burns and mostly on the edges of the Willamette and Rogue valleys. But as the dry weather continues, fire danger is creeping in a bit earlier than expected.
Fire season declared for SW Oregon
The official fire season declaration for Jackson and Josephine counties, which begins June 1, mostly means that burning debris piles is no longer be allowed along with rules against using fireworks, exploding targets and some limits on campfires.
The rules apply to 1.8 million acres of county and forest land — typically in the lowest elevations — but do not apply to federal lands and mountains.
“The fire danger level will be ‘low,’” a news release from the Oregon Department of Forestry said. “Consistent rain and snow allowed for a fairly fire-free spring in southern Oregon up until early May, when a rapid shift in weather patterns took place. The hot weather in combination with windy conditions prompted the spread of numerous accidental human-caused fires.”
7K Fire outside Eugene being mopped up
The 300-acre 7K Fire, located 10 miles southwest of Veneta, hasn’t grown in the past two days and is in the process of being mopped up.
Western Oregon’s largest fire of the season so far brought out 300 firefighters along with helicopters and other heavy equipment.
“Tuesday’s day shift will continue to push into the interior of the fire, extinguishing hotspots that have the potential to flare up in warm, windy conditions,” the latest fire report from ODF said. “Temperatures will be slightly cooler today, which will help to keep fire behavior at a minimum, however winds are still predicted.”
Hot weather could move up fire season to the north
Short and long-range forecasts for the first part of June point toward hotter and drier than normal conditions in the Oregon — in some cases much hotter — which could move up fire season in the northwest part of the state sooner than expected.
Primary fire season isn’t until late July
While it’s not usual for some fires to pop up around Western Oregon in late may and June, the primary fire season — the one associated with smoky skies and closed forests — is still on track for late July, August and September.
In general, western Oregon is expected to see normal risk while the central and southeast will see higher wildfire risk.
Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 15 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. Urness is the author of “Best Hikes with Kids: Oregon” and “Hiking Southern Oregon.” He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or 503-399-6801. Find him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Fire season underway in SW Oregon, 7K Fire coming under control
