The first wildfire of the 2024 season is burning in southern Oregon.
The Little Yamsay Fire began almost a month ago when thunderstorms moved through the area. The fire is located about 25 miles southeast of Chemult.
As of Monday morning, the fire has scorched just about 6,300 acres. The fire is 30% contained, officials said.
While the firefighters are using techniques similar to prescribed burns, officials tell KATU News that allowing natural fire in the forest is important. “Utilizing natural starts to re-introduce fire to the landscape, at the right place and the right time, is a shift in land management practice that is exceedingly important if we are to return the West’s forests to a level of health and resilience that can withstand drought, increasingly unpredictable and hot summers, and large fast-moving fires,” South Central Oregon Fire Management Partnership said.