wildfire

The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is advising recreationists to stay out of areas in the forest that have recently been impacted by fire. USFS officials say the warning applies to areas that have recently experienced both wildfire or controlled burns. ...

Following this year's record fire season in Oregon, legislators are looking ahead to what's next.  Statewide, 1.9 million acres burned in 2024.  State Senator Lynn Findley recently praised a new effort by the State Fire Marshal to send task forces to protect buildings.   "One of th...

This has been a record setting year for wildfires in Oregon, and fire officials say it's the new norm.  Kyle Williams, director of forest protection for the Oregon Department of Forestry, said he thought this was going to be an average year for wildfires, until the heat wave.   ...

A PEMCO insurance poll found 82% of people in the Northwest are concerned about wildfire smoke, but only a quarter do anything about it in their homes.  PEMCO's Jennifer Hawton said it's human nature to procrastinate.   "There's still a hesitancy to take some action, although the actions have increased since the last time we did a study in 2022."   Buyi...

The state of Oregon recently launched a new “Be Two Weeks Ready” toolkit as part of Preparedness Month, to encourage people to be ready for any disaster.  Oregon Department of Emergency Management’s Kayla Thompson acknowledges it’s scary to consider needing to shelter in place, or evacuate.   “I want people to feel e...

Fire season continues in the Pacific Northwest.  But Carol Connolly, with the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, says conditions are improving.   “We just took five large fires off the board over the last 24 hours. Four of those were ...

On Saturday evening, September 14, a wildfire is blazing in the hills south of Kennewick.

Improve the health of America’s forests while reducing the risks of wildfire to communities.  That has been the effort and focus on the U.S. Forest Service’s Collaborative Wildfire Risk Reduction Program, which has focused on 21 specially selected fire sheds.  But Agriculture Sec...

Wildfires have forced evacuations across Oregon this summer.  And now, the state is making new software available that alerts residents to changes in evacuation levels.  Ed Flick, director of the Oregon Office of Resilience and Emergency Management, says the software makes it easy to develop an evacuation map.   "The Genas...

Campfire bans remain in effect as dry conditions and elevated temperatures have created a prime environment for wildfires.