Umatilla County widens burn ban
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, July 31st, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
UMATILLA COUNTY – The Umatilla County Board of Commissioners approved including a temporary burn ban on all agricultural burning at an emergency meeting Tuesday afternoon. The burn ban went into effect at 2 p.m. that day and will remain in effect until 5 p.m. on Aug. 14. Depending on conditions at that time, it could be extended.
The county already had its usual ban on burn barrels and backyard debris in effect. It widened the ban due to the number of wildfires in the area, the depletion of emergency response services, the threat to health due to poor air quality, and Gov. Tina Kotek’s invocation of the Emergency Conflagration Act in this area.
The ban applies to all ag burning, including burning fields, fence lines, and orchard slash piles. The ban does not include land under the jurisdiction of the state of Oregon, the U.S. government, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, or areas covered by a rural fire district.
