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September 04. 2015 3:45PM Campfire ban in Oregon state parks partially lifted Good news: If you're heading to any state campgrounds in northwest Oregon this Labor Day weekend, you can legally light a campfire after more than two weeks of burning being banned.  Bad news: The ban is still in effect for everywhere else. The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department reported that a campfire ban at their state parks, which has been in place since Aug. 19, has been partially lifted. Fires are now allowed in designated metal fire pits at parks in the Columbia Gorge, Willamette Valley, Portland area and on the Oregon Coast from Fort Stevens near Astoria to Honeyman Memorial State Park near Florence. The ban, which covers open flames and, in some cases, charcoal briquettes, continues in Southern, Eastern and Central Oregon, at all beach facilities, and all coastal state park campgrounds south of Reedsport. The bout of wildfires that exploded across Oregon throughout August prompted the original closure. Numerous firefighters from local municipalities who normally would have fought new fire outbreaks at state facilities had been pulled to the front lines to fight those fires, leaving scant resources behind.  But thanks to a recent string of lower temperatures and increased moisture levels, that ban has started to ease.  State parks officials urged campers to still use caution. The ban could also be put back in place, depending on how conditions play out in the coming days.   http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20150904/NEWS/150909771 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->