The Oregon Department of Forestry Southwest Oregon District has officially declared the start of the 2026 fire season beginning Friday, May 15 at 12:01 a.m.
Fire danger will begin at “Low” (green), with the Industrial Fire Precaution Level set at IFPL I (one). The declaration affects approximately 1.8 million acres of state, private, county, city, and Bureau of Land Management forestlands throughout Jackson and Josephine counties.
According to ODF officials, below-normal snowpack and ongoing drought…