Burn ban in place in Sisters Country

Fire has no part in recreation in Sisters Country this summer.

Northwest Fire Agencies, including Sisters-Camp Sherman, Cloverdale, and Black Butte Ranch Fire Districts, have imposed a ban on all recreational burning.

The districts will follow the regulated-use closures imposed by the Oregon Department of Forestry and public use restrictions imposed by the Central Oregon Fire Management Services in the Central Oregon District, to help prevent human-caused wildfires.

The ban will be in effect for Northwest Fire Agencies until further notice, and includes all areas within the Black Butte Ranch, Camp Sherman, Cloverdale, and Sisters Fire Districts.

All open fires are prohibited including campfires, charcoal fires, fires used for pleasure, religious, ceremonial, cooking, warmth, or similar purposes.

Portable cooking stoves using liquefied or bottled fuels are not included in the burn ban.

With drought conditions declared for much of the Northwest, and hot temperatures extending into the next several months, firefighters expect to be busy responding to lightning-caused wildfires. The ban is in place in hopes that additional human-caused fires won’t stretch resources and threaten communities.

Residents are strongly encouraged to review the following information and maps of regulated closures and public use restrictions currently in place in Central Oregon:

Oregon Department of Forestry: www.oregon.gov/ODF/Fire/Pages/Restrictions.aspx

USFS Deschutes National Forest: www.fs.usda.gov/centraloregon

Deschutes County: https://maps.deschutes.org/custom/basic/PublicUseRestrictions.html

Residents and visitors can contact their local fire protection agencies for additional burning information and regulations. Northwest Fire Agencies will continue to monitor weather and fuel moisture conditions in their districts and may make modifications on a day-to-day basis.

Call your local fire agency for more information — Black Butte Ranch Rural Fire Protection District: 541-595-2288, Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District: 541-389-2345, Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District: 541-549-0771.