Warm, dry conditions mean the potential for significant fires — burning acreage above long-term medians — this month is expected to increase to above normal for portions of southern and central Oregon, and into southeastern Washington, NIFC’s National Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook for June through September said.

Brush, salt cedar and cedars in the Columbia Basin, the Northwest’s driest area, are especially fire-receptive.

“With the dry spring we had, especially across much of California, Washington and the Pacific Northwest, and into the Great Basin, it looks like more areas are going to have above-average fire potential this summer,” NIFC meteorologist Nic Nauslar told Capital Press.

Source: High-risk part of fire season arrives in some of West | Research Center | capitalpress.com