Open fires prohibited, except in wilderness areas and designated locations
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Due to increasingly hot and dry weather and an increasing number of fires breaking out, the Deschutes National Forest, Ochoco National Forest, Crooked River National Grassland and the Prineville District Bureau of Land Management will implement the first fire restrictions for the public beginning Monday, July 1.
As of June 26, 85 human-caused fires in Central Oregon have burned 5,612 acres of land. By comparison, a fire caused by lightning burned less than a tenth of an acre.
Effective Monday 12:01 a.m., Stage 1 Public Use Fire Restrictions prohibit open fires, including wood stoves and charcoal briquette fires, on public lands in Central Oregon, except for the wilderness areas of the Deschutes National Forest (Mount Jefferson, Mount Washington, Three Sisters, Diamond Peak, and Mount Thielsen Wilderness Areas) and in the following designated areas:
Ochoco National Forest
Lookout Mountain Ranger District: Antelope Flat Reservoir, Ochoco Divide Campground, Ochoco Forest Campground, Walton Lake Campground and Wildcat Campground
Paulina Ranger District: Cottonwood Pit, Deep Creek Campground, Sugar Creek Campground, Wolf Creek Campground,
Crooked River National Grassland
Haystack Reservoir Campground and Skull Hollow Campground
Deschutes National Forest
Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District: Big River Campground, Big River Group Campground, Bull Bend Campground, Chief Paulina Horse Campground, Cinder Hill Campground, Crane Prairie Campground, Cultus Lake Campground, East Lake Campground, Elk Lake Campground, Fall River Campground, Fall River Guard Station, Lava Lake Campground, Little Crater Campground, Little Cultus Lake Campground, Little Fawn Campground & Group Campground, Little Lava Lake Campground, Mallard Marsh Campground, McKay Crossing Campground, Newberry Group Campground, North Twin Lake Campground, Ogden Group Campground, Paulina Lake Campground, Point Campground, Prairie Campground, Quinn Meadow Horse Campground, Quinn River Campground, Rock Creek Campground, Sheep Bridge Campground, South Campground, South Twin Campground, Wyeth Campground, West South Twin Campground
Crescent Ranger District: Contorta Flat Campground, Contorta Point Group Camp, Crescent Lake Campground, Odell Lake Resort and Campground, Princess Creek Campground, Shelter Cove Resort and Campground, Simax Group Camp, Spring Campground, Sunset Cove Campground, Trapper Creek Campground, Whitefish Horse Camp, Windy Group Site
Sisters Ranger District: Allen Springs Campground, Allingham Campground, Blue Bay Campground, Camp Sherman Campground, Candle Creek Campground, Cold Springs Campground, Driftwood Campground, Gorge Campground, Graham Corral Horse Camp, Indian Ford Campground, Jack Creek Campground, Lava Camp Lake Campground, Link Creek Campground, Lower Bridge Campground, Lower Canyon Creek Campground, Perry South Campground, Pine Rest Campground, Pioneer Ford Campground, Riverside Campground, Scout Lake Campground, Sheep Springs Horse Camp, Smiling River Campground, South Shore Campground, Three Creek Meadow Campground & Horse Camp, Three Creek Lake Campground, Whispering Pines Horse Camp
Prineville BLM District
Castle Rock Campground, Chimney Rock Campground, Cobble Rock Campground, Lone Pine Campground, Palisades Campground, Poison Butte Campground, Post Pile Campground, Still Water Campground
In addition, under Level 1 public use fire regulations, smoking is prohibited except in enclosed vehicles or buildings, in designated campgrounds, or when stopping in an area at least three feet wide that is bare or has been cleared of all combustible materials.
Driving off paved roads and trails is also prohibited, except to access a campsite located within 300 feet of the open paved road. It is prohibited to own or use a motor vehicle off National Forest System roads except in accordance with travel management rules and the Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM).
Liquid and compressed gas stoves, lanterns, and fire pits with on/off switches are permitted outside designated campgrounds, except at BLM-designated campgrounds along portions of the Crooked, Deschutes, John Day, and White Rivers, and on BLM-managed lands along Lake Billy Chinook and Lake Simtustus.
These public use restrictions do not replace the annual river corridor restrictions that went into effect June 1. These restrictions prohibit campfires, charcoal fires, or any other type of open fire. This includes a ban on the use of portable propane campfires and devices that burn wood pellets. Commercially manufactured lanterns and metal camp stoves for cooking are permitted if they are powered by propane cylinders or liquid fuel and operated responsibly.
The possession, discharge, or use of fireworks or other pyrotechnic devices of any kind, as well as the use of explosives, is always prohibited on National Forest System lands in Central Oregon and is currently prohibited on BLM-managed lands in Central Oregon.
The fire risk is currently classified as ‘high’ and the Industrial Fire Protection Level (IFPL) is currently IFPL 1. This requires a one-hour fire watch after daily equipment shutdown, as well as water and/or a fire extinguisher and tools on site to prevent the spread of fire.
For information on current restrictions or the current Industrial Fire Protection Level (IFPL), call the Central Oregon Fire Protection Information Line at 1-800-523-4737.
For current wildfire information, visit centraloregonfire.org or follow/Twitter @CentralORfire. To report a wildfire, call 9-1-1.
