NEWBERG, Ore. — Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue enacted a High-Fire Danger Burn Ban beginning at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, June 13, prohibits outdoor burning across the agency’s jurisdiction, which includes portions of Yamhill, Washington, Multnomah, and Clackamas counties.
Dundee, which operates its own fire department, said it adheres to the Yamhill Fire Protection District, which has not called for a burn ban but is expected to by June 16, according to the Dundee Fire Department dispatch.
According to the YFPD burn ban hotline, agricultural and backyard burns are permitted as of Saturday, June 13, from 8 a.m. to dusk. Burn regulations are updated daily and can be found by visiting the Yamhill Fire Protection District’s website or calling 503-472-3344.
The ban was coordinated with the Washington County Fire Defense Board and the Oregon Department of Forestry, and is authorized under Oregon Revised Statute 478.960 and Oregon Fire Code 307, according to TVF&R.
The agency said it will also staff additional wildland response units this weekend in anticipation of hot weather, which is projected to peak at nearly 100°F.
Under the ban, all backyard and open burning of branches and yard debris is prohibited, along with all agricultural burning — including crop, field, and waste burning — and all other land clearing, slash, stump, or debris burning.
The ban does not apply to small cooking, warming, or recreational fires in portable or permanent fire pits, fire tables, or campfires, provided the fuel area does not exceed three feet in diameter and two feet in height, is positioned away from combustibles and vegetation, and is fully extinguished after use. Barbecue grills, smokers, and similar cooking appliances using clean, dry firewood, briquettes, wood chips, pellets, propane, natural gas, or similar fuels are also permitted.
Residents within or within one-eighth of a mile of land protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry may face more restrictive rules, potentially including prohibitions on campfires, smoking, and motorized equipment use.
Anyone who starts an outdoor fire in willful violation of the ban may be liable for all fire suppression costs and legal fees under ORS 478.965, TVF&R said.
TVF&R encouraged residents to use caution with smoking materials, barbecues, and other open flames. Additional fire safety information, including guidance for residents in wildland-urban interface areas, is available at tvfr.com
