Medford, Ore. — Fire season is still months away, but with low snow pack and dry conditions for the third year in a row firefighters are predicting a severe season, and are already preparing for the worst.
“We fully expect this fire season to be very active and the possibility of large fires is very real,” Oregon Department of Forestry Fire Prevention Specialist Brian Ballou said.
Even while we’re still a couple months out from fire season Ballou said this summer has the potential to be just as damaging, if not more, than last year. And not just on Oregon’s land, but financially as well.
“Certainly if the forecasts hold true and we have a lot of fires we’re going to make every effort to put them out as fast as possible and there’s a real cost to being able to do that,” Ballou said.
In 2014 nearly 10,000 acres of ODF land burned in Jackson and Josephine Counties. That doesn’t include the tens of thousands of acres burned on federal forest land. The bill added up to $75-million.
Ballou said those flames were battled with more air attacks than previous years, something that will continue this season. And although he doesn’t expect the season to start any earlier than usual, he said it has the potential to last longer.
And with the risk of such a devastating season Ballou said it’s never too early to start preparing. You can call your Oregon Department of Forestry office to have crews come out and assess the risk around your home and give you tips on how to create the best defensible space for where you live.
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