From the editor’s desk: Getting ready for another fire season

Published 5:00 pm Sunday, June 18, 2023

Last summer, as you likely recall, was a busy one for wildfires in Wallowa County: Lightning storms in late August sparked the Double Creek Fire near Imnaha, which quickly grew to become the biggest fire of the year in Oregon. By the time winter snows finally put the blaze to rest, it had burned more than 170,000 acres.

And, of course, three other wildfires were burning in the Eagle Cap Wilderness at about the same time.

It made for a troubling stretch at the end of summer last year, and so you can forgive firefighters and residents for hoping that this fire season is a little less busy. Even a “normal” year, as some firefighters told the Chieftain’s Bill Bradshaw in a story examining the prospects for 2023’s fire season, would be a relief.

But the early signs aren’t promising: Already, lightning has triggered two small fires in Wallowa County, and responding firefighters said those blazes appeared to be burning faster and hotter than typical for early-season fires. 

A pair of grass fires in Umatilla County last week blew up literally overnight into serious blazes: The biggest of those, the Hat Rock Fire near Hermiston, burned nearly 17,000 acres before it was contained. And take a look at Canada, where fires are burning in nine of its 13 provinces and have forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. 

So conditions seem primed for another busy wildfire season — and, after all, we humans don’t have any control over weather events like lightning storms.

But there’s the catch: The Oregon Department of Forestry reports that some 70% of wildfires are started by humans. And, as humans, we have some control over our own actions. 

It just requires a bit of common sense.

One of the pleasures of living in Eastern Oregon is getting the chance to play in its forests and open spaces — camping, hiking, bicycling, you name it. But if you enjoy the outdoors, that comes with a responsibility — to help make sure that our open spaces don’t turn into charred landscapes because of your careless actions. So campers and those heading into the woods to recreate should ensure they check their vehicles and generators and confirm they function. When pulling a trailer into a camping spot, make sure safety chains and other equipment are not going to drag on the road and possibly cause sparks.

Campfires should be small and contained within either rocks or a metal ring. Campers should also be careful to pick the right spot for a campfire. Keep campfires away from tents, trees and dry grass. And always make sure the campfire is completely out before you depart.

There’s another side to preparing for wildfire season, and Bradshaw recently reported on that: the growing Firewise movement, in which communities that might be at risk band together to learn about fire risks and mitigation strategies. 

The program offers opportunities for homeowners to learn about ways to create defensible space around their homes — essential for people who choose to live in the woods. And it gives neighbors a chance to work with each other to create communication and evacuation plans so that they’re in place now instead of trying to work through the details when a fire is roaring just over the next ridge. Four communities in the area have signed on to be Firewise sites, and other fire-prone areas would be wise to follow their lead.

Wildfire in our forests isn’t going away. But if we prepare now and follow commonsense steps to reduce the number of human-cause blazes, everyone — including firefighters — should be able to breathe a little easier during this year’s fire season.

When wildfires do break out in the county, the Chieftain will be on hand to provide timely and accurate information about them.

Looking ahead to next Wednesday’s edition, we’ll have stories about three of the county’s signature events, held over the weekend: Flora School Days, the Mountain High Broncs and Bulls Rodeo and the Cross the Divide Kokanee Derby. And we’ll be running the third clue to the whereabouts of that glass-and-metal medallion, hidden somewhere in Wallowa County — unless it gets found in the time between I write this and Wednesday’s print edition.  

It’s all part of our commitment to cover Wallowa County news to the fullest extent that we can. As always, if you have comments or questions about the Chieftain, or want to pass along a story idea, send me an email at this address: mmcinally@wallowa.com. It sometimes takes me a few days to respond, but I try to answer every email — eventually.

Finally, let me take this opportunity to once again thank the Chieftain’s subscribers: We simply would be unable to do this vital work without your support.

Mike McInally is the editor of the Wallowa County Chieftain. You can email him at mmcinally@wallowa.com.