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Fire experts urge caution while burning yard debris By Vickie Aldous Updated: Nov 01, 2022 09:07 AM A A Oregon Department of Foresty offers tips for safer debris burning this fall. [File photo] Oregon Department of Forestry and other fire prevention agencies are urging people to use caution when burning yard debris this fall. With the end of fire season last week, many residents want to burn piles of yard debris. Preferable methods include composting or recycling. Check with your local disposal company for recycling options, ODF advised. Rogue Disposal & Recycling, for example, runs a leaf collection program in November and December in Medford, Central Point, Phoenix and White City. For more information, see roguedisposal.com . Recology Ashland has a leaf pickup program plus community drop-off events. See recology.com/recology-ashland/ . Many structural fire agencies require permits for residential debris burning. Check with your local fire department to obtain any necessary permits before burning and call your county burn line to make sure it’s a burn day. The Jackson County Burn Line is 541-776-7007, and the Josephine County Burn Line is 541-476-9663. ODF offered the following tips to help stop runaway burn piles, which are responsible for multiple property-damaging fires every year: Know the weather. Burn early in the day and never burn on dry or windy days, as fires can spread out of control more easily. Scrape a 10-foot buffer down to bare soil around the perimeter of the pile to keep the fire contained. Make sure there are no tree branches or power lines above. Keep burn piles small. Large burn piles can cast hot embers long distances. A pile should be a maximum of 4 feet by 4 feet. Add debris to the pile in small amounts as the pile burns. Always have water and fire tools nearby. When burning, have a water hose and shovel on hand to put out the fire. Keep the area around the pile damp during the burning process. When finished, drown the pile with water, stir the coals and drown again, repeating until the fire is out cold. State law requires monitoring of debris burn piles from start to finish until they are out cold. Recheck burn piles. They can retain heat for several weeks and restart when the weather warms up and winds blow. Never use gasoline or other flammable or combustible liquids to start or speed up your fire. Burn only yard debris. State laws prohibit burning materials or trash that create dense smoke or noxious odors. State law requires the proper clearing, building, attending and extinguishing of open fires all year. If your debris burn spreads out of control, you may have to pay for suppression costs, as well as the damage to your neighbors’ properties. This can be extremely expensive. Reach Mail Tribune reporter Vickie Aldous at 541-776-4486 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @VickieAldous.