The 2021 Oregon wildfire season began in May 2021. More than 1,000 fires had burned at least across the state as of July 21, 2021. As of August 1, it was expected that the fires might not be contained for months.
The wildfire season in Oregon experienced an early start due to an abnormally dry spring coupled with low snowpack levels amid an ongoing drought. The 2021 season has been outpacing the destructive previous season, with nearly 10 times as many acres have burned as of July 20 compared to the previous year through that date, according to the NIFC's Northwest Coordination Center.
Background
"Fire season" in Oregon typically begins in mid-May and ends with the first rains that normally begins in late September. Drought, snowpack levels, and local weather conditions play a role in Oregon's fire season, particularly in Eastern and Southwest Oregon. During peak fire season from July to September, most wildfires are caused by lightning, while ignitions in the early and later parts of the season are related to humans. Warm, dry conditions in summer heighten the wildfire risk. After over 100 years of fire suppression and prevention of all fires, there is now an abundance of fuel. Climate change is leading to a reduced snowpack with an earlier and reduced snowmelt, so there is a higher risk for areas that receive wildfires.
Oregon has been experiencing increasingly large fire seasons over the last few decades, with the preceding 2020 wildfire season being one of the most destructive in the state's history. As with much of the rest of the Western United States, fire officials were predicting another above-average season in 2021 due to expected low precipitation and high temperatures. The state's declaration of the start of wildfire season in mid-May marked the earliest start to a fire season in the state in over 40 years. In preparation for the wildfire season, forest officials performed prescribed burns and state lawmakers worked on wildfire-mitigation legislation designed to create wildfire risk maps, update building codes, and create new rules related to defensible space around homes in the wildland–urban interface.
List of wildfires
The following is a list of fires that burned more than , or produced significant structural damage or casualties.
Name County Acres Start date Containment date NotesRefPoninaKlamath1,641Lightning-sparkedDry CreekWallowa1,564Lightning-sparkedJoseph CanyonWallowa, Asotin (WA)Lightning-sparkedS-503Wasco6,822Unknown cause, 3 injuriesCutoffKlamath1,288Unknown cause, 22 structures destroyed, 1 injuryWrentham MarketWasco7,222Unknown cause, 2 structures destroyedRattlesnakeWasco, Jefferson5,479Unknown causeRyegrass 0444 RSCrook1,102Lightning-sparkedUptonHarney1,500Lightning-sparkedJackDouglas24,165Human-caused, 18 injuriesBootlegKlamath, Lake413,717Lightning-sparked, merged with the Log Fire on July 19, 408 structures destroyed, 342 vehicles destroyed, 20 injuries. It was the largest wildfire in the United States in the 2021 wildfire season, until it was overtaken by the Dixie Fire in Northern California in early August. GrandviewJefferson, Deschutes6,032Unknown cause, 3 injuriesLogLake, Klamath16,337Unknown cause, merged with the Bootleg Fire on July 19Elbow CreekWallowa22,960Unknown cause, 6 structures destroyed, 8 injuriesDeep Creek 0685 RNWasco1,250Lightning-sparkedMiddle Fork ComplexLane30,928Unknown cause, 2 injuries, 1 firefighter fatality. The complex consists of 12 individual fires, of which the largest are the Gales Creek Fire and the Kwis Fire.Rough Patch ComplexLane50,563Lightning-sparked. The complex consists of 19 individual fires, of which the largest is the Chaos Fire.Skyline Ridge ComplexDouglas5,760Lightning-sparked. The complex consists of numerous individual fires, of which the largest are the Poole Fire and the Dismal Creek 210 Fire Fire.Bull ComplexMarion24,894Lightning-sparked, 1 structure destroyed. Formerly referred to as the Janus Complex. The complex consists of 5 individual fires, of which the largest are the Janus Fire, the Ridge Fire, and the Kola Fire.Black ButteGrant22,445Lightning-sparked, 6 injuriesDevil's Knob ComplexDouglas70,110Lightning-sparked, 1 structure destroyed. The complex consists of 52 individual fires.Fox ComplexLake9,754Lightning-sparked, 4 structures destroyed. The complex consists of the Patton Meadow Fire and the Willow Valley Fire.Cougar PeakLake91,810Unknown cause, 10 structures destroyed, 9 injuriesBig MeadowHarney2,643Lightning-sparked, 3 injuries
Response At the end of July 2021, Governor Kate Brown signed a bill to invest $220 million in wildfire prevention, preparedness, and response.
See also
2021 Western North America heat wave List of Oregon wildfires
Notes
References
External links