Pile burning along Hwy 395C starts today

CANYON CITY – (Press Release from the Malheur National Forest)

Fire officials continue to monitor conditions for prescribed fire operations daily. All prescribed burn activity is weather and condition dependent.

Wednesday, December 1, Blue Mountain fire crews will be burning hand piles along Highway 395 that were part of the Oregon Department of Transportation hazard tree removal. Smoke will be visible near milepost 15.5. Crews will continue to monitor the piles after ignitions for multiple days. Please use caution when traveling in the area, watch for increased vehicle traffic. Slow down in areas of smoke for safety.   

For the safety of firefighters and the public, roads and areas of prescribed fire activity will be signed. Please avoid these areas so as not to interfere with ongoing operations. For safety, roads, trails and areas may need to close temporarily as firefighter operations are taking place. Smoky conditions may also reduce visibility to a level that would require additional temporary closures. During prescribed fire operations, there is potential for impacts to camping and hunting. Hunters are advised to plan ahead; for their safety, they should not camp in or near an area of prescribed fire activity.

With the potential for smoke to settle in certain areas during active operations, the public can monitor the smoke and air quality in our area and across the state by visiting http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/.

Additional information regarding prescribed burning on the Malheur National Forest is available on InciWeb at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7426, or by viewing the Prescribed Fire Activity interactive map at USFS R6 Tri-Forest Prescribed Fire Map.

For further information on the Malheur National Forest, please visit us at

www.fs.usda.gov/malheur or call the Supervisor’s Office at 541-575-3000.

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