After 122 days, the 2019 fire season will end on
lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Southwest Oregon
District Tuesday, October 1, 2019 at 12:01 a.m. Lands affected by this declaration
include state, private, county, city, and Bureau of Land Management forestlands
in Jackson and Josephine counties.
Recent rains and consistent cooler temperatures have
made the conclusion of fire season possible. While this year has been mild in comparison
to the 2018 fire season, our firefighters still kept busy on fires and
additional calls; since June 1, crews extinguished 214 fires that made up 324
acres total. This is a remarkable accomplishment for the District, as firefighters
were able to keep more than 98% of fires under 10 acres. This total fire count
does not even include the number of alarms firefighters responded to related to
fire restriction violations, assisting our local partners, and smoke chases
throughout Jackson and Josephine Counties.
The termination of fire season removes fire
prevention regulations on equipment use and the use of fire for debris burning.
This applies to the public and industrial operations on forestlands. However,
many structural fire agencies require permits for debris burning; please check
with your local fire department to obtain any necessary permits before burning,
and call your county’s burn line:
Jackson County: (541) 776-7007
Josephine County: (541) 476-9663
This is a great reminder; while fire season is over,
fire prevention must continue. Please be vigilant while burning debris making
sure that a burn pile is never left unattended. Also, please use caution while
using machinery that could produce a spark. Fall weather in Southern Oregon can
vary greatly.
While fire season is coming to a close, we are still here to help. Fire prevention tips and additional information is available on our Facebook page: @ODFSouthwest, or you can call/visit the Southwest Oregon District office nearest to you:
