Wildfire smoke is a health threat, and everyone should limit their exposure, but especially those with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly and children. Pictured, a past fire at Squally Point, located just west of the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center.
Wildfire smoke is a health threat, and everyone should limit their exposure, but especially those with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly and children. Pictured, a past fire at Squally Point, located just west of the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center.
SALEM, Ore. -- Due to the extended drying pattern we are experiencing and east winds forecasted for this weekend, the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) encourages anyone who may have completed a debris or slash burn in the past few months to monitor and patrol the burn site.
Embers can smolder beneath the surface, even in winter, after a burn and reignite in dry conditions. The National Weather Service is forecasting east winds this weekend with gusts up to 30 mph, which could reignite residual embers and start a fire.
If you feel heat at your burn site, drown the site with water, stir, and repeat until it's cold to the touch.
"This dry, windy weather is what reminds us that fire can happen in any season, not just summer," Blake Ellis, ODF's Fire Operations Manager said.
ODF districts across the state are prepared to respond over the weekend to any new fire starts.
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