How to Keep Campfire Safe and Enjoyable this Season

By Garrett Christensen on Wednesday, May 31st, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News

OREGON – (Information from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department) As summer gets underway, itineraries will fill up with plenty of camping and outdoor cooking. To help mitigate the risk of wildfire, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department have provided a list of basic tips that can help keep a campfire safe for everyone involved:

“Maintain campfire flames at knee height (no more than 2 feet high). A smaller flame helps prevent embers from rising into the trees or dry vegetation. If you see the wind stirring up embers, play it safe and put the fire out.

In a state park campground, only build campfires in the existing fire ring in your campsite. Fire rings are placed in areas with buffer zones and away from vegetation.

Always keep plenty of water on hand to safely put out the campfire. Douse the flames with water and stir the embers to make sure everything is wet. The stirring step is important: ash and wood debris often maintain heat. Repeat these steps until the fire no longer emits heat.

Beach campfires should be on open sand and away from driftwood or vegetation and use only natural wood, rather than pallets or anything else that might have hidden nails or screws. Slowly pour water on your beach fire to put it out. Pouring water too quickly can cause hot sand to fly up. Don’t use sand to put out a beach fire. Covering the fire with sand will insulate the coals, keeping them hot enough to burn someone hours or days later.

For propane fire rings, follow the same safety precautions you would with a log-based campfire. The use of propane fire rings may be restricted depending on local conditions.

Make sure everyone in your campsite is familiar with campfire safety, including children. Always keep an eye on your campfire; many accidental fires are started because campers left their fire unattended for ‘just a minute.’”

Further, the Oregon Parks Department has two additional reminders. Firstly, remember that parklands and beach areas may impose localized restrictions on campfires and open flames as the season goes on. The Oregon State Parks Website is updated with the latest fire restrictions in state parks. Secondly, remember that firewood can host nonnative and invasive insect species depending on where it was initially cut from. The highly destructive Emerald Ash Borer Beetle is of particular concern. When traveling, avoid bringing firewood from outside your local area.