The fire danger level will increase to extreme in Jackson and Josephine counties on Tuesday.
The change affects Jackson and Josephine counties
The Oregon Department of Forestry is raising the fire danger level to extreme for Jackson and Josephine counties as of 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.
ODF said dry vegetation, hot weather, storms and numerous fires in the region caused the fire danger to move from high to extreme.
Under extreme fire danger conditions, new regulations affecting 1.8 million acres of state, private, county, city and federal lands in the Bureau of Land Management’s Southwest District are taking effect of ODF Oregon:
The use of chainsaws is prohibited, except for electric chainsaws. Cutting, grinding and welding of metals is prohibited. Mowing dry or dead grass is prohibited. Operation of any other spark-emitting internal combustion engine not specifically mentioned above is prohibited.
The ODF said the following fire prevention rules are already in place and will remain in place until the fire danger level decreases significantly:
Smoking while traveling is prohibited except in vehicles on improved roads, on boats on the water and in designated areas. Burning of waste, including the use of burn barrels, is prohibited. Open fires, including campfires, charcoal fires, cooking fires and warming fires are prohibited except in approved fire circles at designated campsites. In other places free of vegetation, portable stoves with liquid or bottled fuels are allowed. Fireworks are prohibited in or within one-eighth of a mile of forest. Any electric fence controller in use must be listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory or certified by the Department of Consumer and Business Services and must be used in accordance with the fire safety instructions of the manufacturer The use of explosive targets is prohibited. The use of tracer ammunition or any bullet with a pyrotechnic charge in its base is prohibited. Motor vehicles, including motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles, may only be operated on improved roads free of flammable vegetation, except when used for commercial cultivation and harvesting of agricultural crops. The following firefighting equipment is required while traveling, except on state highways, county roads and driveways: a shovel and a gallon of water or a 2.5 pound or larger fire extinguisher. All-terrain vehicles and motorcycles must be equipped with a 2.5-pound or larger fire extinguisher.
The precautionary level against industrial fires will remain at level two, ODF said.
For more information on ODF Southwest Oregon District fire season restrictions, see www.swofire.com or the agency’s Facebook page a www.facebook.com/ODFSouthwest.
