The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is prohibiting all beach fires within the Bullards Beach Management Unit until further notice. The action is in response to the Coos Forest Protective Association declaring a Regulated Use Closure for the area. The ban also follows two recent beach fires that got out of hand and required fire personnel to extinguish them. The beach fire ban encompases about 20 miles of public beaches between Coos Bay and Bandon, including Bullards Beach State Park, Seven Devils State Recreation Site, Face Rock State Scenic Viewpoint and Bandon State Natural Area. Much of the ocean shore in this area has gorse, a highly flammable bush that grows along the beach vegetation line and on the upslope area. “It is unfortunate that we have to take this action this early in the summer,” said Park Manager Nick Schoeppner. “But the weather is dry and windy. Our goal is to avoid any accidental fires that could spread in these dry conditions.” The fire ban will remain in place until conditions improve. OPRD will continue the ban based on fire status, weather and guidance from state and local fire officials. Visitors can continue to enjoy campfires in designated fire rings until further notice.
