Fire Danger Level will increase to Extreme on Tuesday, July 9, 2024
Starting Tuesday, July 9, 2024, at 12:01 a.m., the fire danger level within the City of Grants Pass will be elevated to “EXTREME” (red). This increase, due to dry vegetation, hot conditions, and numerous active fires in the region, also affects lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) in Jackson and Josephine counties.
This heightened fire danger level impacts 1.8 million acres of state, private, county, city, and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands under ODF’s Southwest Oregon District. Despite this change, the Industrial Fire Precaution Level (IFPL) will remain at two (2).
New Fire Restrictions
The City of Grants Pass will enforce the following fire restrictions starting at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday:
- Power Saws: Use is prohibited, except for electric chainsaws.
- Metal Work: Cutting, grinding, and welding of metal are prohibited.
- Grass Mowing: Mowing dry or dead grass is prohibited.
- Spark-Emitting Engines: Operation of any other spark-emitting internal combustion engines not specifically mentioned above is prohibited.
Ongoing Fire Prevention Regulations
The following fire prevention regulations are currently in effect and will remain so until the fire danger level decreases significantly:
- Smoking: Prohibited while traveling, except in vehicles on improved roads, in boats on the water, and in designated locations.
- Debris Burning: Prohibited, including the use of burn barrels.
- Open Fires: Prohibited, including campfires, charcoal fires, cooking fires, and warming fires, except in approved fire rings at designated campgrounds. Portable cooking stoves using liquefied or bottled fuels are allowed in areas clear of vegetation.
- Fireworks: Prohibited on or within 1/8th of a mile of ODF-protected land and on all BLM lands.
- Electric Fence Controllers: Must be listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory or certified by the Department of Consumer and Business Services and operated in compliance with the manufacturer’s fire-safe instructions.
- Exploding Targets: Prohibited.
- Tracer Ammunition: The use of tracer ammunition or any bullet with a pyrotechnic charge in its base is prohibited.
- Motor Vehicles: Allowed only on improved roads free of flammable vegetation, except for commercial culture and harvest of agricultural crops.
- Firefighting Equipment: While traveling, except on state highways, county roads, and driveways, possession of one shovel and one gallon of water or one 2.5-pound or larger fire extinguisher is required. All-terrain vehicles and motorcycles must be equipped with one 2.5-pound or larger fire extinguisher.
For more information about the Oregon Department of Forestry Southwest Oregon District’s fire season restrictions, visit their Facebook page @ODF Southwest Oregon District.
