After three early and intense wildfire seasons, forestland firefighters in Oregon are already getting a taste of what this season could bring as two large fires have charred thousands of acres east of the Cascades.
The Owyhee Canyon fire in Malheur County burned almost 23,000 acres after it began on June 5. The Akawana fire in central Oregon started June 7, triggering evacuation warnings and burning about 2,000 acres near Sisters. Both fires have been contained. "We're a little wary of fire right at the moment because we've had so much activity the last three seasons," said Rod Nichols, spokesman for the Oregon Department of Forestry.
Drought conditions are responsible for the recent severe seasons, Nichols said. "We had fires in April and May in those years that were hundreds of acres, and that's not typical," he said.
Conditions are slightly better this year, thanks to more snowpack and more rain this spring than in the past three years, Nichols said.
Nevertheless, the "big wildcard" every year is the combination of dry weather and lightning, he said. "That's not easy to predict," he said.