Portland, Ore (Coin) – As the weather warms up and more people go abroad to re-create, the Oregon Forest Department (ODF) is urging people not to be complacent about fire safety.
In parts of eastern Oregon, the ODF has warned that as the temperature rises, the risk of wildfires increases.
Jessica Prak, ODF Public Affairs Officer, said: “Originals love the outdoors, and love to recreate. “So I say any forest is vulnerable because when a lot of people start wildfires in those forests, all of this automatically increases the risk.”
Wildfires began to affect the West as last week’s request for 330 acres in eastern Oregon and Washington’s wildfires continue to burn at Joseph’s National Park in California.
In preparation for this year’s fire, U.S. Home Secretary Deb Haland wrote a letter to Wildland Fire Leadership in April stating that more than 7.1 million hectares of land were across the United States.
Although Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) has allocated nearly $ 4.5 billion to expand fire prevention, response and rehabilitation efforts over the next five years, the Department of Home Affairs (DOI) and the USDA Department of Agriculture (USDA) have told KOIN. 6 News everyone is on fire prevention.
“We hope the people of Oregon are not negligent about wildfires,” Prack said. “We all Oregon residents want everyone to know that it is the responsibility of all Oregons to prevent wildfires and to be responsible for their re-creation this summer.”
Some fire safety tips that Oregon residents can use this summer to keep them safe and reduce the risk of wildfires include removing dead and growing plants on balconies, porches and sheds, drowning and touching fires before they cool down, and maintaining fire limits and burned restraints before burning.
According to the ODF, although each district determines when the fire season will begin based on fuel conditions, fire behavior, and weather conditions, burning and exploding after a fire has been declared is prohibited.
A full list of ODF fire restrictions is available at www.oregon.gov/odf/fire.
