Fire Season Begins Friday, June 24

The Coos Forest Protective Association (CFPA) announced Tuesday, June 21, that fire season will officially begin at 12:01 a.m. Friday, June 24, 2016. The start of fire season activates restrictions on both public and industrial forest use on all public, private, county, state, and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands. The start of fire season means the end of unregulated outside burning for rural Coos, Curry and western Douglas County residents. The outside burning of debris piles and the use of burn barrels will be prohibited until fire season is terminated. Residents living within an incorporated city need to contact their local fire department for burning restrictions and permit details. Under Oregon law, the use of tracer ammunition and exploding targets is prohibited during fire season, as well as the use of Sky Lanterns. Anyone cutting firewood must have an 8oz or larger fire extinguisher and a shovel. Power saws must be equipped with an approved spark arrestor screen. Industrial fire regulations will also go into effect. Industrial Fire Precaution Level (IFPL) 1 prohibits smoking while working on or traveling through an industrial operation. Specified fire tools and suppression equipment must be maintained on all operations. A fire watch is also required on all industrial operation sites. As fire season progresses, additional closures and restrictions may be imposed as weather conditions and fire danger becomes more severe. For further information contact the CFPA Closure Information Line at (541) 267-1789, visit the website at www.coosfpa.net, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.