PORTLAND, Ore. — The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) on Wednesday announced that no campfires will be allowed in state parks or in state-managed forest east of Interstate 5, even in designated campfire areas, due to fire danger and limited firefighting resources across the western United States.
The campfire ban goes into effect Thursday, July 22, and will continue indefinitely. It includes charcoal fires, cooking fires, warming fires, charcoal briquettes, pellet grills, candles, tiki torches and other devices that emit flames or embers, ODF said.
Portable cooking stoves and propane lanterns are still allowed.
ODF said people should also anticipate restrictions in other areas due to fire danger.
Hot, dry weather is expected to continue in Oregon with no relief in sight. Most of Oregon is in severe drought.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said the state is dealing with another difficult wildfire season during a briefing on Tuesday. Brown advised everyone to make a plan with their family so they're ready to evacuate if necessary, and to sign up for local alerts at oralert.gov.
The governor said there are nine large fires burning across the state. The largest, the Bootleg Fire, has burned nearly 400,000 acres in and around the Fremont-Winema National Forest in Southern Oregon. The fire is larger than the city of Los Angeles.
