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The Fire Danger Level has been raised to “High” as of Friday, July 8 at 12:01 a.m. for all federal, state, county and private lands in Klamath and Lake counties protected by the agencies of the South Central Oregon Fire Management Partnership. In addition, some fire restrictions are going in place. The public is encouraged to be aware of the current regulations before working or recreating on wildlands in Klamath and Lake counties.

The Fire Danger Level includes all private, county and state wildlands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) Klamath-Lake District. It also applies to the Fremont-Winema National Forest, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Lakeview District, the Sheldon-Hart Mountain and Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complexes, and Crater Lake National Park.

Early season summer-like hot, dry weather, depleted snowpack and rapid drying of forest fuels have resulted in fire danger levels reaching “High.” Fires starting in these conditions have the potential for rapid fire spread and significant damage.

The Industrial Fire Precaution Level (IFPL) is being raised to Level II on federal lands. Under IFPL II, the following may operate only between the hours of 8 p.m. and 1 p.m.:

• Power saws except at loading sites

• Welding or cutting of metals

Personal and commercial woodcutters are reminded of their responsibility to stay informed of current IFPLs and all restrictions that apply to activities conducted on federal lands. Failure to comply with precautionary fire requirements may result in the issuance of a Violation Notice.

For more information on IFPL restrictions, please visit www.scofmp.org.

Additionally, the ODF Klamath-Lake District has begun Public Regulated Use Closure as of Friday, July 8 at 12:01 a.m. Fire officials are implementing these restrictions to dramatically reduce the chance of an accidental fire.

Under the Public Regulated Use Closure, the following activities are prohibited on all private, county and state wildlands:

• Smoking is prohibited while traveling, except in vehicles on improved roads.

• Open fires are prohibited, including campfires, and charcoal, cooking and warming fires, except at designated locations. Portable cooking stoves using liquefied or bottled fuels are allowed.

• Chainsaw use is prohibited between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. Chainsaw use is allowed at all other hours if the following firefighting equipment is present with each operating saw: one ax, one shovel and one 8-ounce or larger fire extinguisher. A fire watch also is required at least one hour following the use of each saw.

• Use of motor vehicles, including motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles, is prohibited, except on improved roads and for vehicle use by a landowner and employees of the landowner conducting activities associated with their livelihood. Landowners and their employees conducting activities related to their livelihood shall carry a shovel and 2 ½ pound fire extinguisher when operating ATVs off improved roads.

• Possession of the following firefighting equipment is required while traveling in a motorized vehicle, except on state highways, county roads and driveways: one shovel and one gallon of water or one 2 ½ pounds or larger fire extinguisher, except for all-terrain vehicles and motorcycles, which must be equipped with an approved spark arrestor in good working condition.

• Use of all fireworks is prohibited.

• Cutting, grinding and welding of metal are prohibited. For landowners and employees of the landowner on their land, while conducting activities associated with their livelihood, cutting, grinding and welding of metal is prohibited between the hours of 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. At all other times, the area is to be cleared of flammable vegetation, and the following firefighting equipment is required: one ax, one shovel and one 2 ½ pounds or larger fire extinguisher in good working order.

For more information on restrictions, please visit: https://www.oregon.gov/odf/fire/pages/restrictions.aspx.

Forest operations that require a permit to operate power-driven machinery must have fire tools, on-site water supply and watchman service on privately owned forest land.

The release of sky lanterns is prohibited at any time of the year. In addition, discharge of exploding targets and tracer ammunition is not permitted during fire season.

On the BLM Lakeview District, Public Use Restrictions in the Klamath River Canyon remain in place. They went into effect May 15 for BLM-managed lands within a half-mile of the Klamath River from the Keno Dam downstream to the Oregon/California border. The full order can be found at www.blm.gov/orwafire.

This year has seen an early start to wildfire season in South Central Oregon, and conditions continue to dry out as summer approaches. The public is asked to use extreme caution with anything that can potentially spark a wildfire. Equipment should be checked to ensure spark arresters are in working order.

Anyone going out into the wildlands should be prepared with water, a shovel, a fire extinguisher and an ax. Campfires should never be left unattended, dead out and cold to the touch before leaving. If you suspect a wildfire, please report it to 911.

For more information and current updates, check online at Facebook at facebook.com/SCOFMPFireInfo.

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