Fire Season Ends October 1, 2019, but Fire Prevention Continues

September 30, 2019

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:

Medford Unit, 5286 Table Rock Rd., Central Point.

(541) 664-3328

Grants Pass Unit, 5375 Monument Dr., Grants Pass.

(541) 474-3152

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