LA GRANDE — The Union County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Monday, July 22, to immediately implement a countywide burning ban.

Under the ban, which applies to areas outside incorporated areas in the county, no fires of any kind are allowed except agricultural field burning and gas or pellet barbecues.

Nick Vora, the county’s emergency manager, told the commissioners the possibility of wildfire starts in the county is dangerously high due to a prolonged period of hot and dry conditions. And, he noted, the numerous fires burning throughout Eastern Oregon and the rest of the state have drained available firefighting resources in the event a major fire were to erupt in Union County.

The county commissioners called the special meeting after receiving a letter July 19 from Craig Kretschmer, the chief of the La Grande Rural Fire Protection District and the head of the Union County Fire Defense Board.

In his letter, Kretschmer noted Union County at the time was in regulated fire season. In regulated closure, landowners and their tenants are allowed to have recreational fires and use burn barrels if following regulations.

But now, Kretschmer said, considering weather forecasts predicting continued hot, dry and windy weather, the Fire Defense Board was asking the commissioners to implement a complete burn ban as early as possible. 

The burn ban was the only item on the agenda for the commissioners’ meeting. 

Meanwhile, the La Grande Fire Department has temporarily banned outdoor recreational fires and fireworks within the city.

In a press release issued July 19, the fire department said the ban extends to all recreational fires, cooking fires and charcoal fires, starting immediately.

Cooking stove and fire pits fueled by liquefied or bottled fuels and pellet stoves are allowed, but they must be a minimum of 3 feet away from any combustible or flammable material.

Violators of the ban may be cited.

The ban will remain in place until weather and moisture conditions improve and is officially lifted by the Fire Department.

In addition to Union County fire restrictions, forest officials have increased public use restrictions on lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Umatilla and Wallowa-Whitman national forests due to high fire danger, the potential for human-caused fires and concern for public safety. The increased restrictions prohibit campfires, smoking, off-road/off-trail vehicle travel, chain saw use, internal combustion engines and generators. More information regarding the forest restrictions can be found at www.bmidc.org.