PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Extreme heat and dry conditions continue to heighten the risk of wildfires throughout Oregon, and officials worry that current weather forecasts could mean worsening conditions over the weekend.
“The next 24 to 36 hours are going to be extremely challenging with the weather forecast calling for thunderstorms to move across the state,” the Oregon Fire Marshal said in a post on social media.
As of Saturday, 80 wildfires are burning throughout the state with at least 406,284 total acres burned, according to the State of Oregon Fires and Hotspots Dashboard. So far, these wildfires have destroyed at least 13 homes and 25 other structures. At least 25 people have been injured.
Red Flag Warnings are in place for a significant portion of the state, and excessive heat warnings are also impacting areas like the East Columbia River Gorge, the Foothills of the Blue Mountains, the Grande Ronde Valley, the John Day Basin and more.
Although thunderstorms and high winds pose a significant threat to these dry areas, officials also warn of the consequences related to fires caused by humans.
“Firefighters are working their tails off to protect life and property. Please help them out by doing everything you can to prevent sparking a human-caused fire,” according to the Oregon Fire Marshal.
In fact, the Forest Service recently reported that at least 100 wildfires in Oregon and Washington have been caused by people since June.
“We are asking the public for help keeping human caused fires off the map,” said Kyle Williams, Deputy Director of Fire Operations with the Oregon Department of Forestry. “We have our hands full already and more lightning coming, we can address that as long as our resources are not busy dealing with other human caused fires.”
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has already declared a wildfire state of emergency, freeing up deployment of the National Guard along with firefighters and structural equipment from California and Washington.
But as the summer continues to heat up, Kotek warned that it could be “a long wildfire season.”
“To be very honest, our wildfire season is off to a very aggressive start,” Kotek said. “Just this past week, I’ve declared five conflagrations.”
The governor and officials urge residents to sign up for local emergency alerts and be aware of fire evacuation levels, warning of the hot weather and lightning expected to strike this weekend.
Stay with KOIN 6 News as we continue our wildfire coverage.
