You’ve likely heard it for months now to “create defensible space around your home,” but Bend Fire and Rescue say that message is changing with the ongoing extreme fire danger conditions.
Vegetation in the high desert is overgrown and dry, Bend Fire says all it takes is one spark from lawn equipment to start a fire.
Experts recommending that if you need to create defensible space, avoid using mechanically operated equipment with the risk of igniting dry vegetation.
“Unfortunately, we should be doing this in the spring, early summer, so when we get to this time of the year that it’s already been taken care of,” Assistant Fire Marshal Dan Derlacki said. “If you haven’t taken extreme precautions… wet down the area using hand tools and not using mechanical tools.”
Some areas outside of City of Bend limits also have restrictions on lawn equipment like mowers and chainsaws.
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