A brush fire that started near the Cascade Lakes Welcome Station was started due to an abandoned campfire, fire officials said Sunday night.
The 1/4-acre fire was located just south of the Cascade Lakes Highway, approximately 1.5 miles west of the , according to Central Oregon Fire Info.
At least one engine was initially called out with more resources called in.
The fire was out about an hour later.
RELATED: Put them out! 6 campfires abandoned in Central Oregon during holiday weekend
RELATED: 6 tips for a safe campfire this season
It comes a week after Forest Service officials in Central Oregon found at least six abandoned campfires, including one with flames still coming out of it.
“Campfires must be fully extinguished and cold to the touch before you leave them unattended,” Central Oregon Fire Info said on Twitter.
Forest Service officials say campers should always have a shovel and gallons of water for putting out campires until they are cold to the back of the hand.
- Oregon State Parks has these tips to remind people about how to manage their campfires safely.
Maintain campfire flames at knee height (no more than 2 feet high). A smaller flame helps prevent embers from rising into the trees or dry vegetation. If you see the wind stirring up embers, play it safe and put the fire out. - In a state park campground, only build campfires in the existing fire ring in your campsite. Fire rings are placed in areas with buffer zones and away from vegetation.
- Always keep plenty of water on hand to safely put out the campfire. Douse the flames with water and stir the embers to make sure everything is wet. The stirring step is important: ash and wood debris often maintain heat. Repeat these steps until the fire no longer emits heat.
- Beach campfires should be on open sand and away from driftwood or vegetation and use only natural wood, rather than pallets or anything else that might have hidden nails or screws. Slowly pour water on your beach fire to put it out. Pouring water too quickly can cause hot sand to fly up.
- Don’t use sand to put out a beach fire. Covering the fire with sand will insulate the coals, keeping them hot enough to burn someone hours or days later.
- For propane fire rings, follow the same safety precautions you would with a log-based campfire. The use of propane fire rings may be restricted depending on local conditions.
Make sure everyone in your campsite is familiar with campfire safety, including children. Always keep an eye on your campfire; many accidental fires are started because campers left their fire unattended for “just a minute.”
