REGION
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
East Oregonian
Page 3A
Hot weather prompts forest use restrictions
Regulations to limit
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/ightning sparNs ¿res
on Umatilla forest
By GEORGE PLAVEN
East Oregonian
With summer camping season
beckoning families outdoors,
forests across northeast Oregon
have started limiting certain
activities to minimize the risk of
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The Umatilla National Forest
entered Phase A of its public
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Walla Walla and Pomeroy ranger
districts.
Phase A is the second level
of restrictions implemented by
the Forest Service when the
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Restrictions include no chainsaws
between 1-8 p.m.; no off-road
or off-trail vehicle travel; and
no smoking except in vehicles,
buildings, developed recreation
sites and cleared areas.
Texas Fire: Located on the
Heppner Ranger District, two
miles east of Madison Butte
Lookout. Approximately 8 acres
in size, and 40 percent contained.
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and 16 rappellers are currently
working on the blaze.
Collin Butte Fire: Fully
contained at approximately 45
acres. Located four miles northeast
of the community of Winlock on
the Heppner Ranger District.
A reconnaissance observation
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been reported, but not yet located.
Fire danger remains high on the
forest. For more information
about trail and road closures, call
1-877-958-9663 or visit ww.fs.
usda.gov/umatilla.
As of late Sunday night,
lightning has started 18 new
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Forest burning roughly 150 total
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include:
Table Rock Complex:
Reported Saturday, about two
miles south of Bluewood Ski
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Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness
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Watershed totaling approximately
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are fully contained, and the largest
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percent contained. More than 50
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complex.
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are also in effect through Oct. 31.
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or commercial rings, and must
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mable material should be cleared
within a three-foot radius from the
edge of the pit.
The
Wallowa-Whitman
National Forest will enter Phase A
restrictions beginning Wednesday.
Hot weather over the weekend
TXLFNO\LQFUHDVHG¿UHGDQJHULQWKH
forests, which are already parched
following a year of record-low
winter snowpack statewide.
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cutters, hunters and other forest
users can all help in ensuring a
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Whitman forest.
The Oregon Department of
Forestry, meanwhile, will enforce
its own set of restrictions —
known as regulated use closures
— beginning Wednesday across
the Northeast Oregon District.
The district, which provides
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over seven counties, formally
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little more than 40 acres so far this
year.
Regulated use closures are
similar to the Forest Service’s
public use restrictions, but include
a few additional bans for private
landowners. Cutting, grinding
and welding metal is prohibited
between the hours of 1-8 p.m., as
well as mowing dried grasses with
power-driven equipment except to
harvest crops.
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exploding targets and tracer
ammunition is also prohibited.
ODF district spokeswoman
Jamie Knight said that, while
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weather, they can control the
human factors that can ignite large
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“It’s been hot and dry for sure,”
Knight said. “If the weather trends
continue as they are, it could be a
very eventful season for us.”
More
information
about
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available on the Blue Mountain
Interagency Dispatch website
at www.bmidc.org. To report a
¿UH FRQWDFW WKH GLVSDWFK FHQWHU
at 541-963-7171 or simply call
9-1-1.
———
Contact George Plaven at
gplaven@eastoregonian.com or
541-564-4547.
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this way and that
By KATHY ANEY
East Oregonian
Erratic winds tested
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Sunday afternoon as they
battled a blaze several miles
north of Pilot Rock.
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raced through Conservation
Reserve Program (CRP)
acreage and standing wheat,
burning roughly 1,700 acres
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the blaze that burned on both
sides of Hoeft Road west of
Highway 395.
Jeff Hemphill, a captain
with the Pilot Rock Fire
Department, acted as incident
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said a witness described the
blaze roaring to life a minute
or so after lightning struck
around 4 p.m.
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said.
Hemphill
called
for
mutual aid. Multiple agencies
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personnel from Pendleton,
Echo, Ione, Boardman,
Umatilla, Hermiston, Stan-
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the Oregon Department of
Forestry.
Squirrely winds compli-
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as we got a handle on the
leading edge, the winds would
change,” he said. “Often with
a thunder cell, winds are
constantly shifting.”
Hemphill praised farmers
who showed up with
pumpers, tractors and a dozer
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“All the credit in the
world goes to the farmers,”
Hemphill said. “With a
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it’s neighbors helping neigh-
bors.”
Hemphill said roughly 500
of the blackened acres were
standing wheat belonging to
two farmers.
Another lightning-caused
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blackened roughly 20,000
acres of privately owned
pasture
land
Saturday
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fought the blaze until about 2
a.m., returned to the area the
next afternoon when another
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Pilot Rock Fire Chief Ron
Neeley estimated the entire
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25,000-30,000 acres.
BRIEFLY
Group to try last-
minute BMRC save
PENDLETON —
Although the wheels have
already been set in motion to
demolish the Blue Mountain
Recovery Center, a commu-
nity group is trying to appeal
to the city to stop it.
City Manager Robb
Corbett said the Pendleton
City Council will hold a
special meeting Tuesday at 6
p.m. to hear the group’s case.
While he didn’t want to
disclose any names ahead of
the meeting, Corbett said the
group is composed of local
business owners that have
banded together to oppose
the demolition.
The group isn’t opposed to
the demolition of the nearby
Eastern Oregon Training
Center.
The Oregon Legislature
appropriated more than $1
million to demolish BMRC
and EOTC in December and
passed a bill to transfer the
land to Pendleton June 16.
3 Kings Environmental,
the contractor hired by the
state Department of Admin-
istrative Services, started
abatement Monday and
will begin demolishing the
Westgate facilities in August.
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completed in October,
Pendleton will use the land
for economic development
purposes.
The meeting will be held
at the council chambers in
city hall, 500 S.W. Dorion
Avenue.
Pendleton cooking
¿re burns kitchen
PENDLETON — A house
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block of S.E. Sixth Street in
Pendleton.
According to Pendleton
Fire Assistant Chief Matt
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by some “untended cooking”
in the duplex’s kitchen.
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responded to the house
around noon and immediately
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Benedict said no residents
were inside the house when it
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The Red Cross provided
the affected family of two
adults and two children with
food and clothing.
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Alonzo Corona, 6, of Pendleton leaps into the wading pool at Til Taylor Park as temperatures reach into the
triple digits on Monday in Pendleton.
Hottest June weekend ever
Pendleton, Hermiston, Walla Walla,
Meacham set record highs for June 28
East Oregonian
The sun beat down with
a vengeance this weekend
across the region, breaking
heat records Sunday as
sweltering summer weather
covered eastern Oregon and
Washington.
According to the National
Weather Service, Pendleton,
Hermiston, Walla Walla and
Meacham all set new high
marks for June 28.
Pendleton topped out at
109, matching Saturday’s
record, and Hermiston
reached 107.
In other areas, Walla
Walla was the hottest on
record, reaching 113 degrees
“This ain’t noth-
ing compared to
(Southern heat).”
— Johnny Roberson,
originally from Tennessee
to beat Saturday’s 109 high
mark for June.
Meacham, which set a
new June record on Friday
of 93, hit 101 on Sunday.
Folks around Pendleton
shared how they stayed cool
during the record-breaking
heat wave.
To beat the heat, Dameon
Creason, 24, said he
followed his uncle’s advice.
First, he froze a damp rag.
Then he said he wrapped it
around his neck, tucking the
ends into his shirt.
Johnny Roberson, 38,
said he made for the mister
outside the Rainbow Cafe
at 209 S Main St., which
releases cool water into the
air along the sidewalk. But
Roberson, originally from
Tennessee, prefers the dry
Eastern Oregon heat to
Southern humidity.
“This ain’t nothing
compared to (Southern
heat),” he said.
Living in an old
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Wildhorse Casino, Mike
Summers, 56, said he had
two fans running the entire
weekend and made sure to
stay hydrated.
He said it’s so hot in the
trailer that “it’s like living in
a sardine can.”
The Oregon Health
Advisory urges people to
drink plenty of water as
temperatures rise into the
triple digits, and even take
cold showers or apply cool
compresses as needed. It
also warns people to never
leave infants, children or
pets in a parked car.
Cloud coverage caused
Monday’s temperatures to
drop slightly, with many
areas not reaching the 100
degree mark.
The forecast calls for
highs to remain in the
triple digits through at least
Thursday.
For updated weather
information, visit www.wrh.
noaa.gov.
Kids! Read this
Summer with a Foster
Grandparent Volunteer
at the Library!
1 hour daily sessions
for students in grades 1 to 6 at:
Hermiston Library: – Jul. 6 - Aug. 14
Pendleton Library: – Jul. 6 - Aug. 14
We have 2 trained volunteers at each city library
from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, Monday through Friday.
Call (541)-276-4474 to reserve a
day and time for your child.
TRAIL
TRAKKERS
2015
Summer
Walking
Program
May 25 th - Aug. 27 th
Fun Run/Walk 5k (7am) • Fireman’s Breakfast • 3-on-3 Basketball Tourney (10am)
Blues Cruise Car Show • Children’s Games (11am) • Parade (1pm)
TALENT SHOW (3:30pm) • Live Music (6:30pm) • Food Vendors • Beer Garden
FIREWORKS and So Much More!
* NO DOGS ALLOWED IN PARK
www.CityOfIoneOregon.com/FourthOfJuly or check us out on Ione 4th of July Facebook
Music funded in part by Morrow County Unified Recreation District
Morning Walks
meet at Oxbow Trailhead
(Intersection of 11th & Elm St.)
Monday through Thursday
7:00 - 8:00 am
Questions? Call 541-667-3400 ext 3050
or email healthinfo@gshealth.org