Fire danger level jumps from high to extreme

Central Point, Ore. — Jackson and Josephine Counties will see the fire danger level jump from high to extreme Tuesday.

A spike in the temperatures and dry conditions are prompting the Oregon Department of Forestry to set some new regulations. Starting Tuesday all power equipment needs to be used before 10:00 a.m. ODF’s Fire Prevention Specialist, Brian Ballou, said with the expected heat wave residents need to do everything they can to cut down on the possibility of man made fires.

“Fire danger just naturally goes up a lot when you get into temps from mid 90’s into 100’s. It just becomes oven hot,” Ballou said.

He said the high temperatures make dry grasses and weeds ignite more easily and fires to spread more quickly. He also said we can expect the danger level to remain at extreme until we get at least half an inch of rain across Southwest Oregon.