TVF&R's burn ban remains in effect across Bethany, Cedar Mill, and Oak Hills as Washington County firefighters return from up to two weeks on Oregon's wildfire lines. The deployments are part of the same mutual aid system that sent TVF&R crews to multiple fires in mid-July, stretching local resources during what officials say could be the state's worst wildfire season on record.

As we reported July 16, TVF&R joined a strike team headed to the East Evans Creek Road Fire near Medford. The agency also deployed to the Olive Complex/Salmon Fires near Grant County and the Lower Dry Creek Fire near Umatilla County, according to TVF&R's Instagram post on Thursday, July 16.

Now, crews from neighboring Hillsboro Fire & Rescue and Banks Fire District have returned from the Bench Fire in Central Oregon and the Second Flat Fire in Harney County, offering a window into what Washington County firefighters face when they answer the call.

Clearing brush to save homes

Hillsboro Fire & Rescue Battalion Chief Ben Tanner returned from multiple deployments on the Bench Fire, which started July 23 on the Warm Springs Reservation. The fire destroyed six homes and five outbuildings as it merged with the Beachcomb Fire and grew to more than 45,000 acres with zero containment, according to The Oregonian.

Tanner's crew cleared brush and grass around homes to create low-intensity fire barriers before the flames arrived.

Battalion Chief Eric Kriem, also with Hillsboro Fire, said his crew expected one deployment but ended up on two additional fires. The extended assignments kept him away from his family for weeks; his daughter left for summer camp without him.

Kriem said local Warm Springs residents explained the conditions in stark terms.

"They said they normally get 20 feet of snow. This year, they got 2," Kriem told KGW on Tuesday, July 28.

The record-low snowpack left fuels exposed to sun and air far longer than usual, making them easier to ignite, according to Oregon State Climatologist Larry O'Neill in NPR reporting published Wednesday, July 29.

Back-to-back deployments for Banks Fire

Less than a day after one Banks Fire District crew returned home, another was headed to the Second Flat Fire in Harney County. Duty Officer Andrew Cooper and Firefighter/Driver Katie Allie staffed the Washington County conflagration task force for that assignment.

Oregon has burned more than a million acres this season. Thirty-four major fires remain active.

What the burn ban means locally

TVF&R's High-Fire Danger Burn Ban, enacted June 13, prohibits all backyard burning, agricultural burning, and land-clearing burns across its jurisdiction, including Bethany, Cedar Mill, Oak Hills, and portions of Washington, Multnomah, Clackamas, and Yamhill counties.

Small recreational fires no larger than 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet in height are still allowed, as are BBQ grills. The ban is coordinated with the Washington County Fire Defense Board and Oregon Department of Forestry.

Residents can check tvfr.com for burn ban updates and sign up for emergency alerts through Washington County's public alert system.