Oregon Department of Forestry says they’re ‘anticipating the fire season to pick up’ amid red flag warnings
Isabella Warren
(Update: Adding video, comments from ODF)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ)– We’re just a week into July, and already this fire season has been busy. In just 10 days, hundreds of wildland firefighters have been deployed across the state following intense lightning and dry conditions.
Officials with the Oregon Department of Forestry say that, so far this season, it is similar to last year, though they have seen more vehicle-sparked fires.
However, the early start we saw in June with the Rowena and Fairy fires is causing long-term staffing issues. KTVZ News spoke Friday with ODF on how they track lightning strikes in the area, and what they’re preparing for this August.
“We have the multi-mission aircraft, and that aircraft will then go up and basically follow behind the storms,” said Public Affairs Officer Jessica Neujahr. “They’ll go up and start detecting fires so that we can get firefighters out to new starts as early as possible.”
She said, however, later fires in August could put a strain on staffing: “It kind of puts a bit more of a strain on those resources. So we are anticipating the fire season to pick up even more. And we’re preparing for that.”
In August of 2024, nearly 13,000 wildland firefighters were on the ground in Oregon, battling the mega-fires burning in the east. Because this year’s season started early, officials have already dipped into the state wildfire funding. Governor Tina Kotek had recommended dipping into the state’s rainy day fund to help, as last year’s season cost the state $350 million.