Burn piles a hazard, says ODF
From our weekly issue dated May 21, 2008
The first hot days of the year are ahead, and some old burn piles may return to life as a result, said Oregon Dept. of Forestry (ODF).
A day or two of 90-degree weather, a breath of hot afternoon breeze, and that patch of blackened ground -- where you burned a pile of tree branches in April -- might sprout a few flames.
That same breeze can easily push flames into nearby grass and cause a wildfire, said ODF.
Click here to learn more about how you can tell us what you think
Embers can survive for days, weeks, even months in roots and other organic matter in the soil. Bark, stumps, leaves and needles all may continue to slowly burn even when completely buried underground.
Now is the time to take a look at those black patches to see whether there is any smoke, said ODF. Better yet, spray water on the burned area. If it is still hot, you will see a puff of steam.
If the old burn pile site is beyond the reach of a garden hose, pass your hand an inch or two above the black ground. Feel a little heat? Stir the spot with the point of a shovel and test the air above it again. If the air is cooler, there isn’t a problem. If it’s hotter, it’s time to do a little work, ODF said.
Advertisement:
To fully extinguish embers, turn the soil with a shovel to expose the hot material. Spray it with water, or slosh some on it from a bucket, and turn the embers to get them really wet. Chop up glowing embers and continue to wet them until they no longer smoke and are cool to the touch.
Don’t think that the fire will eventually go out if you just bury it deeper, particularly if the material you’re burying is large. Using a backhoe to bury still-smoking stumps and tree boles may be simply postponing the chore of putting out the fire.
And if firefighters need to dig up buried debris to put out embers, they may send you a bill for their heavy-equipment costs.
Phone the appropriate fire district or ODF for tips on open burning and how to fully extinguish burn pile embers. It is also important to check with the appropriate structural fire service provider to see whether a permit is required for open burning in your area. The information line for Illinois Valley Fire District is 592-2121.
And always phone the county open burning line (Grants Pass area) to see whether burning is allowed on a given day.
In Josephine County, the burn line number is 476-9663. In Jackson County, the number is 776-7007.
More information on open burning is online at www.swofire.oregon.gov.
