Fire season started a little early this year with small blazes in the region. Officials are preparing for what’s expected to be a busy summer. Ed Hiatt is the Northwest Oregon Inter-agency Fire Management staff officer in Springfield. He says it still looks pretty green in Oregon but fuels will dry out quickly if there isn’t much rain.
“We’re starting to see the grasses cure in the very drier areas like the road edges and along the large banks of dry sites where the grasses are starting to brown and we know that that’s an indicator that fire season or the availability is coming soon.”
Officials have mapped out the fire outlook for the coming months. July and August are listed as above normal to significant for large fire potential. Hiatt urges the public to use caution when recreating in the forests.