Officials are beginning to lift fire restrictions throughout Oregon as rain and cooler temperatures arrive.
Multnomah County completely lifted its outdoor burn ban Thursday morning — allowing recreational campfires, fire pits and agricultural burning on Department of Environmental Quality-approved burn days.
The Bureau of Land Management’s Vale District, in Malheur County, is lifting its fire use restrictions Saturday. BLM lands in Central Oregon have also reduced their industrial fire precaution level.
Fire officials throughout the state have said they're loosening restrictions due to the weather, but fire season is still not over yet.
“Once grasses dry out in early summer, they react quickly to changes in the weather the rest of the year,” fire mitigation and education specialist Al Crouch said in a news release. “Even though it has been cool and wet recently, a few days of warm, dry and windy conditions can dry out dead grass and brush quickly and elevate fire danger again.”
Fires still continue to burn in Oregon, such as the Granite Gulch Fire in the eastern part of the state and the Cow Fire in the Malheur National Forest. Those were both started by lightning strikes.