A fire that burned over an acre of grass and brush Tuesday morning in the Azalea area serves as a good reminder that fire danger is still present in Douglas County.  The Douglas Forest Protective Association and Azalea Rural Fire Department responded to the fire in the 5500 block of Upper Cow Creek Road shortly before 9:30 a.m. with five engines, one helicopter, one bulldozer and a reconnaissance aircraft.  Fire crews had the small blaze contained within 30 minutes.  No homes were harmed or threatened by the fire, which is under investigation.

Fire managers are advising residents to continue to exercise caution when working or recreating outdoors. 

“Cooler fall mornings can be misleading for people this time of year,” says DFPA spokesman Tom Fields.  “We really haven’t had the kind of precipitation that would affect conditions on the ground.  The fact that this fire started in the morning is proof positive that we’ve got a ways to go until the end of fire season.”

Fire restrictions still in place include no open fires, such as campfires, warming fires, backyard burn piles and incinerators.  Smoking and off road driving are also prohibited on lands protected by DFPA.  For a complete list of fire season restrictions, log onto www.dfpa.net or call the Association’s closure information line at (541) 672-0379.

DFPA fire crews have suppressed 98 fires in 2007, about 15% above the 10-year average.  DFPA has garnered success with the help of county fire departments, landowners and neighboring fire protection districts by keeping acres burned to less than 70.  The Association protects 1.6 million acres of private, county, state and BLM lands in Douglas County.