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Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires

A 26,000-acre wildfire last year in Douglas County, Oregon, was traced to two men who were using power mowers despite restrictions on their use, due to extreme fire conditions. The fire took a month to extinguish. And, state law says, Dominic Decarlo, 70, and Cloyd Deardorff, 64, who have already paid minor fines for unlawful entry into a restricted forestland area, also have to reimburse the state for the firefighting costs, including firefighter salaries, helicopter and bulldozer time, and everything else involved in the effort. How much? Despite a year of tallying, the state doesn’t know yet, says Jeff Bonebrake of the Oregon Dept. of Forestry. “We could get finalization in the next several weeks or a few more months.” But so far, the tally is more than $37 million. (RC/Portland Oregonian) ...Plus interest.