As Lane County dries out, fire danger will soon jump to high

Lane County is moving into high fire danger as of Friday, July 17, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry. 

The uptick in fire danger level brings new restrictions, with limits on yard work, campfires and machinery use.

• Yard work: Mowing and cutting of dried and cured grass allowed only before 10 a.m. and after 8 p.m.
• Campfires: Only permitted at a designated site with a host, or with a permit.
• Machinery and engines: Gas saws, ATVs and other spark-emitting engines restricted to before 10 a.m. and after 8 p.m., and most must carry a shovel and fire extinguisher.

Fire danger levels are based on conditions including how hot and intensely dried-out trees, grass and other brush would burn if they caught fire. 

Fuels in the area have dried out significantly and rapidly over the past two weeks, and forecasts show conditions pushing further into extreme fire-danger territory by late July. National Weather Service meteorologists expect warm weather Friday into the weekend, with temperatures reaching the low 90s by Sunday. 

Thunderstorms started to roll through Wednesday afternoon in east Lane County mainly near the Cascade crest, between noon and 1 p.m., along with another cell near Oakridge around 3 p.m. Forecasters don’t expect thunderstorms to continue past Wednesday night, however.

Winds this weekend aren’t expected to raise any significant fire weather concerns. Still, with conditions drying, officials with the forestry department and weather service urge people to practice fire safety, especially near dry vegetation.