The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Law enforcement officials believe a small fire near Sisters on Friday was human-caused.

According to Deschutes County Sheriff's Office reports, at about 3:30 p.m. on Friday deputies responded to the 69400 block of Hinkle Butte Drive regarding a brush fire. Upon arrival, deputies noted a fire approximately one acre in size, burning slowly in an open field void of trees or structures. Sisters and Cloverdale firefighters were able to control the fire quickly. No structures were immediately threatened.

An investigation is being conducted into the origin of the fire.

In the past two weeks, firefighters have responded to almost 30 human-caused wildfires on Forest Service or BLM-administered lands. The number jumps to 90 incidents when the statistics include private-land wildfires and other assists with rural fire departments, Warm Springs and the Oregon Department of Forestry, as well as other types of incidents.

"Many of these fires are the result of fireworks and abandoned campfires," said Craig Letz, fire staff officer for Central Oregon Fire Management, "which means that people are being careless. They've been fooled by the cooler temperatures, but the vegetation is really dry."

Firefighters have contained all of these new starts quickly, with the largest growing to almost 70 acres. In addition to fireworks and abandoned campfires, other human causes this summer include a variety of roadside starts and several fires where the specific cause was not identified. On average, over the course of a year the two forests and the BLM have about 140 human-caused wildfires - this year they reached a fifth of that number in just two weeks.

People recreating on public lands should check with the local land management agency before they go to find out if campfires are allowed. If they are, they need to be properly constructed in a fire ring, small enough to be easily control, and extinguished completely every time someone is not present to watch it.

Once conditions are dry, people should avoid driving down dirt roads with a line of vegetation down the middle. This material can get trapped under the hot underside of a vehicle and ignite a wildfire.

Fireworks are always illegal on public lands, and the user may be fined, face jail time and/or have to pay the cost of suppressing a fire started by fireworks.

Throwing away burning material like cigarettes is always illegal. Cigarettes should always be properly extinguished in an ash tray and soaked in water before being disposed of in a trash can. Along some Central Oregon rivers smoking is only allowed in vehicles or on the water.

For more information on fire safety, contact the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District at 541-549-0771.