Our regional fire season started slow but is now apparently on the full upswing, and it seems like a good time to remind everyone in the local area to exercise extreme caution in the woods.

Blazes are consuming acres in Wallowa County and a fire ignited on Mount Emily last week.

The forests in the region are dry tinderboxes and while that is expected, none of us can afford to ignore the potential destruction a miscue could inflict.

There are already plenty of fire restrictions in place and that is a good thing but we must all continue to be vigilant. This is the time of year when even the smallest event — whether it be a lightning strike or an inadvertent mistake by someone hiking or camping in the woods — can lead to a major disaster.

Now, large fires are active across California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana. Meanwhile, sagebrush and timber fuel moisture are down to dangerous levels.

This all creates a worst-case scenario. One where a major blaze could erupt and begin to consume thousands of acres of timberland, possibly threatening structures and even lives.

That means plenty of taxpayer money will be used to fight these fires. That should get the attention of voters.

We forget that fighting fires gobbles money.

In 2020, for example, wildfires in the U.S. triggered $16 billion in damages. At the same time the cost to put out those fires was more than $2 billion.

Those dollars to fight wildfires come out of your paycheck. It may not seem like it but effort to extinguish the blazes burning now is funded by taxpayers.

That is only one reason it is vital that we remain vigilant and careful no matter where we are in the forest or on the high desert ranges across Eastern Oregon. One spark is all it takes to create a major fire that consumes resources and lots of money.

It can be easy to forget about fires that burn in such remote places as the Eagle Cap Wilderness but we shouldn’t. Instead, we must all exercise extreme caution to ensure we can get through the next few months without a significant fire caused by human hands.