September 8, 2011

8:52 AM

Due to extreme fire conditions the Multnomah County Fire Defense Board announces the official declaration of a Burn Ban effective September 8, 2011, at 8:00 a.m. Burn Bans are formally declared in Oregon on a County by County basis. This includes the Cities of Portland, Gresham, Fairview, Troutdale, Wood Village as well as Corbett, Sauvie Island and all unincorporated areas of Multnomah County. The burn ban will be in effect until further notice.

"A Burn Ban is declared at a time of year when fires are most likely to start, spread rapidly and require fire control," said Fire Defense Board Chief Scott Lewis. "I want to thank our residents for their cooperation and help keeping the communities in our county safe during this time," said Lewis.

During Fire Season no open fires of any kind are allowed; including backyard, agricultural or open burning. This also includes recreational fires, camping fires, or backyard fire pit fires. Gas, briquette, or pellet type barbeques are still allowed but should be used with extreme caution, with extra care given to coal and embers. Generally, no open flame fires will be allowed.

Anyone found to have an open fire during this burn ban will likely have it extinguished by their local fire department and could be issued a citation or warning for this violation.

We are also asking the public to use extreme caution when smoking. Please properly dispose of cigarettes in a container of water or sand and never put them out in landscaping or put them onto the ground.

If we are all vigilant and use extreme caution during this burn ban we can keep our communities safe.�@

 Portland Fire & Rescue

 We Respond: Always Ready, Always There

 September 8, 2011

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