PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – May kicks off Wildfire Awareness Month as we prepare for another potentially active fire season.
Wildfire Awareness Month is a campaign to help remind the public that we have to be diligent and we need to prepare for the wildfire season that is nearing. The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, Idaho, is stressing the importance of attention and personal responsibility.
We know the story well here in Oregon and Washington, as recent wildfire seasons have been busy.
The NIFC issued the Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook for the month of May and the upcoming summer months that you can find in the slideshow below, with each depicting a section of central Oregon in the “Above Normal” category.
The above-normal potential spreads across northern California, southern Oregon and the lower Columbia Basin by the time we reach August. This will include areas of Washington too.
“As we highlight National Wildland Fire Preparedness Month in May, it’s important to note that 89% of all wildfires are caused by people,” NIFC stated. “We can minimize the serious impacts to our communities by focusing on prevention. In a year like this, every preventative measure we take could be the difference between disaster and a safe and enjoyable summer for ourselves and our communities.”
You can find the comprehensive details of the outlook here.