Annual campfire restrictions will go into effect June 1 on some Bureau of Land Management-administered lands in central Oregon. In particular, campfires will be prohibited along portions of the Crooked, Deschutes, John Day and White rivers, as well as on BLM-administered lands along Lake Billy Chinook and Lake Simtustus.
“Our number one goal is protecting public and employee safety,” said James Osborne, Fire Management Officer for the BLM Prineville District. “We are excited that people are getting out and enjoying the rivers. Reducing the risk of human-caused wildfire helps us be good neighbors.”
These restrictions prohibit campfires, charcoal fires, or any other type of open flame. This includes a ban on the use of portable propane campfires and wood pellet burning devices. Commercially manufactured lanterns and metal camp stoves used for cooking are allowed, when fueled with bottled propane or liquid fuel and operated in a responsible manner. Under the restrictions, smoking is not allowed except inside vehicles or on the water.
“The river canyons present a combination of limited access, grassy fuels that dry out quickly, and steep slopes that allow wildfires to spread rapidly,” Osborne continued.
Restrictions will remain in effect through October 15, 2024. Violation of this closure is punishable by a fine of up to $100,000 or imprisonment of not more than 12 months, or both.
For more information and specific campfire closure locations, or other fire restrictions on BLM-administered lands in central Oregon, please review the river closure order by visiting blm.gov/orwafire.
For current information on public use restrictions, fire closures or changes to the Industrial Fire Precaution Level on the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests and the BLM Prineville District, please call the information line at 1-800-523-4737. Additional information about fire activity in Central Oregon is available online at: centraloregonfire.org.
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Kind if your standard government issue if rules / regulations where you finally find what you’re looking for, and then see that it really provides no detail, specific to areas. Very generic overview. Just call local blm and ask the question, saving you time.
We’re traveling that way late this summer, so thank you for the heads up.
Thank you, Russ and Tina! 🙂 Given the explanation, it certainly is easy to understand the ban. Thanks again and safe travels! 🙂
Too many irresponsible people with no ethics or morals have caused this problem and we all have to pay the price…for their ways.
BLM.gov link is broken
Thanks, Xctraveler. Well, it worked when I proofed the post yesterday. Just now checked it and, you’re correct, it doesn’t work. So, I went to the main blm.gov page and the whole blm.gov site is down (which may be what you were referring to, not just the link in the post). Not much I can do about that.🙄 I’ll just leave the link in the post “as is”, and hope they get their website back up soon. Have a good afternoon/evening. 😀 -Diane