The calendar shows it's March, but it's not too soon to talk about fire season. A wildfire this week near Lyons in Linn County is proof of that.
It's just been scant days since the snow melted in the southern Willamette Valley.
No matter, it's time to start contemplating a new fire season.
A nearly 200 acre wildfire broke out on the Linn-Marion County line Tuesday, forcing the evacuation of 42 homes along the north fork of the Santiam River.
“Well the snow is gone now, get over that,” said Eric Johnson, the N.W. Interagency Fire Officer. “We have dry leaves, there's a lot of brush that's still dormant.”
Johnson says he's not surprised by the blaze, or its unusual timing. The updated N.W. fire forecast from the National Interagency Fire Center warns dry spells early in 2019 could elevate fire danger enough, to raise the risk of prescribed fire escapes in windy conditions and low humidity. The report adds normal significant large fire potential is expected across the region, into late June.