Wildfire

Oregon Rep. Cliff Bentz visited the Rogue Valley on Tuesday to hear from voters about pressing issues in the region.

Several large wildfires are still burning just south of the Oregon border. As people are evacuated from these areas, the Red Cross has been operating shelters for those who are displaced.

When smoke from severe fires settles over a vineyard, the grapes draw it in. When those grapes are turned into wine, it creates a flavor that is, at best, a little smoky and at worst, tastes like an ashtray.

A series of lightning-caused wildfires near the Oregon-California border has resulted in an extended closure of Highway 199. Crews are still assessing when the road between Cave Junction and Crescent City will reopen.

The largest is the Head Fire, which is estimated to have burned about 3,000 acres so far.

Local officials cautioned Oregonians to avoid lighting fires and to find ways to stay cool as temperatures spike this week.

This winter, researchers predicted record-breaking snowpack and precipitation would mean a reduced risk for massive wildfires. So far, that theory has held up.

As the Flat Fire continues to grow in southwest Oregon, part of it is about half a mile from the Kalmiopsis Wilderness, as of Thursday afternoon.

Oregon’s three largest electricity providers say they are adapting quickly to growing wildfire risks. State regulators have endorsed their plans as Oregon braces for a potentially hot, dry summer.

As nights warm and droughts intensify, past models predicting fire behavior have become unreliable. So California is working with analysts and tapping into new technology to figure out how to attack wildfires. Gleaned from military satellites, drones and infrared mapping, the information is spat out in real time and triaged by a fire behavior analyst.

After a failed rollout of a state wildfire risk map last year, Oregon researchers and state officials are beginning work on a revised map.

After several years of devastating wildfires, California lawmakers want to give hefty raises to Cal Fire firefighters. The deal could tie the governor’s hands in contracts.