While regulated use restrictions have been lifted, fire danger is at moderate this week in the Sweet Home area.
“East winds drove that up,” said Chad Calderwood, the Oregon Department of Forestry Sweet Home Unit forest protection supervisor. Sunday, east winds, which dry out fuels, were 30 mph on the ridge tops and reached up to 15 mph locally.
Humidity was 14 percent locally and 22 percent on the ridge tops, he said. Moisture recovery rate are low in the evening, and rain isn’t expected until the middle of next week, while the east winds are expected to continue.
Calderwood urged the public to remain cautious and noted that debris and slash burning is still banned. Public use restrictions on U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Bureau of Land Management land have been lifted.
The Sweet Home Unit has responded to 79 calls this season, Calderwood said. Of those 14 were considered stat fires, which are calls where firefighters take some sort of significant action.
The two most recent calls were enforcement actions for illegal burns, Calderwood said. The ODF educated the responsible persons and did not issue any citations in either case.
For more information about fire season restrictions, call the Sweet Home Unit at (541) 367-6108.