Salem issues burn ban through Wednesday as fire danger high
Salem fire officials on Tuesday afternoon issued a complete burn ban for the city, saying possible thunderstorms combined with dry conditions and gusting winds mean fires can spread rapidly.
The ban is in effect through noon Wednesday, when fire officials will reevaluate conditions.
“We’re praying for a quiet night, ” said Brian Carrara, deputy chief of administrative services for Salem Fire Department.
There’s a 10% chance Salem will see wind gusts over 50 miles per hour from storms this evening, the department said on Facebook. Combined with lightning strikes, that could mean many small fires start and some could spread rapidly.
“That’s just not a good combination,” Carrara said.
The National Weather Service’s Portland office on Tuesday issued a red flag warning starting at 5 p.m. for the north and central Willamette Valley, including Salem. The warning means weather conditions could lead to extreme fire danger through 8 a.m. Wednesday.
“Frequent lightning and critically dry fuels may result in numerous fire starts. Thunderstorm outflow winds may result in erratic fire spread,” the agency said.
Temperatures in Salem are forecasted to remain hot this week, with an expected high Wednesday of 89 degrees, 90 on Thursday and 91 on Friday.
Hot weather in recent weeks has dried out fuel. Salem firefighters are responding to about 66 fires per week on average in July, Carrara said, compared to about 31 weekly in June.
People shouldn’t call 911 to report illegal outdoor burning unless fire is out of control, Carrara said. People can report violations of the burn ban by calling Salem police and fire’s non-emergency line, 503-588-6123.
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers education, economic development and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade and is a past president of Oregon's Society of Professional Journalists chapter. Outside of work, you can often find her gardening or with her nose buried in a book.
