As the spring rain falls and the trees begin to turn green, Benton County has decided that they want it all to last as long as possible. Therefore, the county has declared a burn ban that will begin once wildfire season is announced.
What that means for homeowners in unincorporated areas of the county, which may not be close to a fire station, is that any burning for backyard debris must be done sooner rather than later.
This also means that once authorities declare it is wildfire season, camp fires will no longer be allowed. There may also be a ban on fireworks as we get closer to July 4.
Benton County attorney Vance Croney said to the Benton County Board of Commissioners, “We have several areas within the county where fire districts miss. So we have these islands of rural pockets where there’s no fire district coverage. And those areas are really susceptible to wildfires because there’s no response units that would come into those areas.”
In 2020, wildfire season in Oregon killed 11 people and destroyed over one million acres of land. Some of those fires were in counties that neighbor Benton County – Linn, Marion, Lane, and Lincoln to name a few. Many in our area assisted those displaced by the fires, and many were affected by the smoke-heavy air.
By Sally K Lehman
Do you have a story for The Advocate? Email editor@corvallisadvocate.com