Wister

LA GRANDE — The temperature is up this year, and so is the fire risk.

The U.S. Forest Service warns that the risk of fire in parts of Oregon is up 70% from last year and is urging Oregonians to take precautions to reduce the chance of starting a wildfire.

Jennifer O’Leary Riscall, the fire communications officer for the Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest and Alaska regions, said precautions are essential.

“Any action people can take to prevent human-caused starts will allow us to better respond to naturally caused wildfires from getting out of control,” she said.

These fire risks have been compounded by drought throughout much of Oregon and Washington, with some areas reaching severe drought level. The National Weather Service says drought can fuel wildfires with crop and pasture losses likely.

Due to the higher than normal fire danger, the Forest Service is warning residents and campers in the area to take the risk seriously and to stay informed of fire restrictions and closures as well as paying attention to smoke forecasts. The Forest Service said outdoors enthusiasts should plan their recreation with an eye toward reducing the risk of starting a wildfire.

According to the Forest Service website, one way to help prevent a wildfire is to “be sure chains and other metal parts aren’t dragging from your vehicle — they throw sparks.”

The National Weather Service in Pendleton also is warning that the risk of fire will increase even more in coming weeks. The Weather Service pointed to minimal precipitation in the region over the past month (the last on June 28 with 0.28 of an inch of rain) as well as a high pressure system, which is expected to drive cooling winds out of the Grande Ronde Valley and could push temperatures into triple digits in coming weeks.

“With temperatures over the past week or two we haven’t seen an extreme heat risk, which has helped us out in the heat area, unlike the dry desert ridge area, but as we go into next week the same high pressure system will sweep over us and drive temperatures up, in some places to the 100s,” Mary Wister, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Pendleton, said.

The dryness in the Pacific Northwest, combined with near-record heat, has resulted in excessively dry vegetation in multiple areas. This allows fledgling wildfires to quickly take hold and spread.

People with respiratory conditions are advised by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to take special precautions and care to avoid complications from contact with smoke from potential wildfires.

The Forest Service says additional regulations are also likely to be issued in coming weeks, and that both residents and campers should keep up to date with all of the latest restrictions and warnings.

“We’re not closing any campsites as of right now,” said Joseph Black, public information officer for the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. “We don’t expect to have to, but we do want to remind people to not travel off of the road and that approved camping is down to 10 feet away from the road.”

To stay informed on current and predicted fire weather and accompanying forest use restrictions, check out the Northwest Coordinator Center Predictive Services Outlook at https://gacc.nifc.gov/nwcc/predict/outlook.aspx.