Columbia River Fire and Rescue extinguished a two-acre brush fire July 1. (Courtesy of Columbia River Fire and Rescue)

If you see smoke east of the Scappoose Airport this Saturday, there’s no need to raise the alarm.

Columbia County fire agencies will conduct a wildfire drill Saturday, July 12, near Northeast Aviation Court and Northeast Commerce Drive, the latter of which will be closed at Miller Road and Ring a Ring Road as part of the training exercise.

There will be a live fire set as part of the training exercise, and community members who see smoke need not call 911.

“This training is necessary for our new firefighters to get checked off in their wildfire skills and be prepared to respond to wildfire incidents within the community and statewide,” the Scappoose Fire District said in a release.

Wildfires on the rise

Wildfires have become increasingly common in the Pacific Northwest. Last year, Oregon experienced one of its worst wildfire seasons on record, with more than 1.9 million acres burned by 1,956 fires.

This fire season is expected to be especially fraught. Fire departments throughout the area have already been called to extinguish brush fires, including Columbia River Fire and Rescue, which tackled a two-acre brush fire earlier this month.

To lower the risk of wildfire, all Columbia County fire agencies have instituted burn bans until further notice.