Local & regional
news releases, articles & Info
A chronological listing, with excerpts &
links, for 2005
On Wednesday, October 26th, 2005, the ODF
declared the end of fire season. Brian Ballou, ODF's
Wildland/Urban Interface Specialist for the Southwest Oregon District,
issued the following public news release announcement. The text
is republished here in full:
October
26, 2005
OREGON DEPARTMENT OF
FORESTRY - SOUTHWEST OREGON DISTRICT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - SOUTHWEST OREGON NEWS MEDIA
5286 Table Rock RD - Central Point, OR 97502
Contact: Greg Alexander, (541) 664-3328 - Rick Dryer, (541)
474-3152
FIRE SEASON
ENDS ON ODF-PROTECTED FORESTLANDS
Fire season ended
today at 8:00 A.M., October 26, 2005, on forestlands protected
by the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Southwest Oregon
District, and applies to state, county, private and Bureau
of Land Management forestlands in Jackson and Josephine
counties.
The district declared
fire season on June 27 and it lasted 122 days.
Open and barrel burning
are allowed as of today, but residents are required to follow
local burning regulations. Briefly, here are the open burning
regulations for Jackson and Josephine counties:
-
Open burning is disallowed within
the city limits of Medford and Jacksonville.
-
Many fire districts require
a permit that must be obtained prior to starting an
open burn. Call your local fire protection district
for permit information.
-
Burning within Jackson County’s
Air Quality Maintenance Area is controlled. Call 776-7007
to find out whether burning is allowed prior to lighting
an open fire. In the City of Rogue River area, call
582-2876.
-
In Josephine County, call 476-9663
for open burning information.
Southwest Oregon
District Fire Season Statistics
|
2005 |
10-Year Average |
Human-Caused Fires |
|
|
Number of Fires |
176 |
175 |
Acres Burned |
3,247 |
464 |
Lightning-Caused Fires |
|
|
Number of Fires |
12 |
59 |
Acres Burned |
1,726 |
4,232 |
All Fires |
|
|
Number of Fires |
187 |
233 |
Acres Burned |
4,972 |
4,696 |
More than 96 percent of all fires on Southwest Oregon District-protected
lands were controlled at 10 acres or less. Equipment use
caused more fires than any other category (e.g. lightning,
juveniles, smokers, etc.).
Sixty-seven of the
district’s fires were caused by equipment; this category
includes power lines, vehicles, farm machinery, logging
equipment, brush cutters and mowers. Fires caused by equipment
use burned nearly 3,133 acres.
The district’s
largest fires were the Wasson Fire, which burned 1,510 acres,
and the Deer Creek Fire, which burned 1,548 acres. The district
also managed a portion of the 14,908-acre Blossom Complex.
The Southwest Oregon
District also benefited from a state-contracted retardant
bomber stationed at the Medford Airtanker Base from July
7 through September 20. This bomber, and others, dropped
99 loads of retardant on 16 district fires; retardant drops
were credited with stopping the spread of 11 of these fires.
Nearly 275,000 gallons
of retardant were used on fires within the district.
For more information, contact the Oregon Department of Forestry’s
unit office in your area:
ODF Medford Unit,
5286 Table Rock Rd., Central Point. Phone: (541) 664-3328
ODF Grants Pass Unit, 5375 Monument Drive, Grants Pass.
Phone: (541) 474-3152
### |
Thursday, August 24, 2005 9:30 a.m. - the
ODF issued the following:
August 24, 2005 9:30 a.m. - FIRE
UPDATE
The 17-acre Jack Spring Fire,
located north of Highway 140 near Milepost 25, is completely ringed
with fire line and is 40 percent mopped up today. Fire crews made
good progress overnight and will continue mop-up operations today.
The fire burned in private forestland protected by the Oregon
Department of Forestry's Medford Unit.
The fire's size, originally estimated
at 30-33 acres, was revised overnight. The fire was reported at
2:08 p.m. Tuesday, and started beside the highway. Its specific
cause is under investigation.
Highway 140 traffic was reduced to a single
lane Tuesday afternoon due to fire-fighting activity beside the
road and helicopters and airtankers flying overhead. Traffic control
was provided by the Oregon Department of Transportation. The highway
is open today, but motorists are urged to exercise caution in
the fire area.
The Lake Creek Rural Fire Protection District
and engines from the U.S. Forest Service are assisting with the
fire-fighting effort. Crews and equipment have been contracted
for mopping up and patrolling the fire, enabling first responders
to return to their normal patrol areas.
The Hamilton Fire, which burned 35 acres
of grass and forestland just south of Ruch, is being patrolled
by engine crews today. That fire broke out Monday at 3:39 p.m.
and threatened several residences and other structures. One storage
shed burned.
The Hamilton Fire was fought by firefighters
from the Oregon Department of Forestry's Medford Unit, Jackson
County Rural Fire Protection District #9 and the U.S. Forest Service.
Contract crews and equipment were used to fight the Hamilton Fire
and assist with mop-up.
The cause of that fire is also under investigation.
Brian Ballou
Wildland/Urban Interface Specialist
Southwest Oregon District
Oregon Dept. of Forestry
Friday, August 5th, 2005 - The ODF issued
the latest Media Advisory regarding the Right Sardine Fire north
of Gold Hill, Oregon. Full statement follows:
August 5, 2005 - 8:25 a.m.
Oregon Department of Forestry - Southwest
Oregon District
5286 Table Rock Rd. - Central Point
Contact: Brian Ballou
RIGHT SARDINE FIRE CONTAINED
The 40-acre Right Sardine Fire, burning
on private forestland 5 miles north of Gold Hill, is 100 percent
contained. The Oregon Department of Forestry's Medford Unit declared
the fire contained at 7:00 a.m. today.
Four 20-person crews, four engines and
two water tenders are assigned to the fire today. Two engines
will patrol the fire area tonight.
The fire was reported Wednesday night,
and its cause is under investigation.
Thursday, August 4th, 2005 - The ODF issued
several Media Advisories regarding the Right Sardine Fire north
of Gold Hill, Oregon . Excerpts follow:
August 4, 2005 - 4:55 p.m.
Oregon Department of Forestry - Southwest
Oregon District
5286 Table Rock Rd. - Central Point
Contact: Brian Ballou
RIGHT SARDINE FIRE 80 PERCENT
LINED
The Right Sardine Fire, burning in a heavily
forested area 5 miles north of Gold Hill, has a fire line around
80 percent of the its perimeter. Nine 20-person crews, three helicopters,
three bulldozers and six engines are being used to contain the
fire. It is burning on private forestland protected by the Oregon
Department of Forestry's Medford Unit.
No structures are threatened by the fire,
which is located approximately two miles up the Right Fork Sardine
Creek Rd.
The temperature in the fire area topped
100 degrees this afternoon, but winds were light and caused no
significant problems for firefighters. Helicopters dropped buckets
of water onto hot spots, and firefighters strung hose down the
fire's steep flanks.
Tonight, fire crews will continue constructing
fireline, stringing hose and mopping up hot spots.
An investigation into the cause of the
fire is underway. The fire was reported at 9:11 p.m. yesterday.
A map showing the Right Sardine Fire's
location is posted on the World Wide Web at:
http://www.firemaps.org/Files/FileManager/Sardine_Creek_Fire-August_4_2005.pdf
The map was developed by Jackson County
GIS.
Brian Ballou
Wildland/Urban Interface Specialist
Southwest Oregon District
Oregon Dept. of Forestry
August 4, 2005 - 1:10 p.m.
Oregon Department of Forestry - Southwest
Oregon District
5286 Table Rock Rd. - Central Point
Contact: Brian Ballou
RIGHT SARDINE FIRE UPDATE
The Right Sardine Fire, burning on private
forestland 5 miles north of Gold Hill, is approximately 30 acres
in size and three heavy helicopters are dropping water on hot
spots. Ten engines, two bulldozers and seven water tenders are
supporting the suppression effort. Some of the suppression crews
working on the Wasson Fire were diverted to the Right Sardine
Fire.
Airtankers have dropped retardant to help
secure firelines.
No structures are immediately threatened
by the fire, and the right fork of Sardine Creek Rd. is open;
however, fire-related traffic is heavy.
The fire is within the jurisdiction of
the Oregon Department of Forestry's Medford Unit. The incident
commander is Bob Marcu.
A map showing the Right Sardine Fire's
location is posted on the World Wide Web at: http://www.firemaps.org/Files/FileManager/Sardine_Creek_Fire-August_4_2005.pdf
The map was developed by Jackson County
GIS.
Brian Ballou
Wildland/Urban Interface Specialist
Southwest Oregon District
Oregon Dept. of Forestry
August 4, 2005 - 8:25 a.m.
Oregon Department of Forestry - Southwest
Oregon District
5286 Table Rock Rd. - Central Point
Contact: Brian Ballou
TWENTY-ACRE WILDFIRE BREAKS OUT
NORTH OF GOLD HILL
Oregon Department of Forestry firefighters
responded Wednesday night to a wildfire burning adjacent to the
right fork of Sardine Creek Rd., located approximately 5 miles
north of Gold Hill (Township 35S, Range 3W, the southeast corner
of Section 21).
The fire is estimated at 20 acres in size,
and is burning in steep, forested country. Five ODF engines, two
bulldozers, and two crews are on scene. Three helicopters and
an airtanker are on order, as well as two additional bulldozers.
The fire is uncontained. At this time,
no structures are threatened and Sardine Creek Rd. is open.
The fire was reported at 9:11 p.m. Wednesday,
and reportedly started beside Sardine Creek Rd. The specific cause
of the fire is being investigated.
Brian Ballou
Wildland/Urban Interface Specialist
Southwest Oregon District
Oregon Dept. of Forestry
Tractor sparks grass fire: residents
hose down property as a precaution
Tuesday, August 2nd, 2005
- by Sarah Lemon for The Mail Tribune (Medford, OR.) Excerpt follows:
An afternoon grass fire slowed
freeway traffic in north Medford Monday and had nearby homeowners
scrambling to keep the flames from spreading to yards and fences.
A tractor mowing dry grass
in a field off Midway Road likely sparked the blaze... Firefighters
then had to work against strong winds to contain the flames, which
scorched several acres along the southbound side of Interstate
5 near the north Medford interchange...
Approximately 30 firefighters
with eight engines from Medford, Jackson County Fire District
No. 3 and Oregon Department of Forestry had control of the blaze
within half an hour...
Two major Oregon
wildfires contained, but more start
Tuesday, August 2nd, 2005 - The
Mail Tribune (Medford, OR.) Excerpt follows:
PORTLAND - Two of Oregon's
larger wildfires were contained overnight but more than 4,000
lightning hits in 24 hours started about 40 other blazes...
Jeree Mills of the Northwest
Interagency Coordination Center said the Wasson fire near Eagle
Point was contained at 1,510 acres Sunday night and that the Double
Mountain fire west of Vale in Malheur County was contained at
22,095 acres.
Crews
watch small Ashland watershed fires (12:30 p.m.)
Monday, August 1st, 2005 - by Sarah
Lemon for The Mail Tribune (Medford, OR.) Excerpt follows:
Fire crews were working
this afternoon to extinguish several small lightning-sparked blazes
in the Ashland watershed.
The largest fire was reported at about
6 p.m. Sunday in an area where U.S. Forest Service crews recently
had cleared brush near Windburn Ridge, said Robert Shoemaker,
Forest Service fire duty officer. Thirty firefighters with the
Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and a contract company
halted the blaze at about a quarter acre, Shoemaker said...
Shortly after the 6 p.m. spark, a spotter
in a small plane spied two other fires, one near Four Corners
and another near the summit of Mount Ashland, Shoemaker said.
Both were reined in at about a tenth of an acre, he said.
Crews staffed the fires into today while
others patrolled the south county area for more “sleeper”
fires caused by lightning strikes. Such fires can smolder for
days before springing to life, Shoemaker said...
About 20 lightning strikes were recorded
Sunday evening from the California border to the Ashland area
roughly along the Interstate 5 corridor...
2
of Oregon's major wildfires now contained:
Two of Oregon's larger wildfires were contained but more than
4,000 lightning hits started about 40 other blazes, four of which
are significant
11:46 AM PDT on Monday, August
1, 2005 - By kgw.com and AP Staff - Excerpt follows:
...Jeree Mills of the Northwest
Interagency Coordination Center said the Wasson fire near Eagle
Point was contained at 1,510 acres Sunday night and that the Double
Mountain fire west of Vale in Malheur County was contained at
22,095 acres.
Higher humidity on Sunday and rain helped
firefighters gain ground on many of the fires. Mills said storms
brought as much as a half inch of rain in some areas. However,
the storms also brought with them plenty of lightning.
Of the 40 new fire starts, Mills said,
only about four have the potential for growth.
Elsewhere, the lightning-caused Blossom
complex of fires, in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest,
had burned more than 1,000 acres as of Sunday night, all of it
within protected wilderness.
More than 550 people were fighting the
blaze with the help of seven helicopters that were taking water
from the Rogue River to douse the flames...
Near Klamath Falls, crews completed a
fire line around the 10-mile perimeter of the 2,283-acre Simpson
Fire... fire crews aided by a half-dozen helicopters held the
flames in check and reinforced the lines.
The Dry Cabin Fire posed some of the
toughest challenges, burning in dense timber in a remote forest
area about 20 miles north of Burns Junction. Mills said the Dry
Cabin fire was 30 percent contained at 1,600 acres in grass and
brush. The Skull Springs fire 22 miles north of that was contained
at about 600 acres.
The Mule Peak Fire, burning in
rugged country 20 miles southeast of La Grande, had grown to over
800 acres Monday. The Burnt River complex fires also continued
burning in Eastern Oregon.
Wasson
fire crews head home
Monday, August 1st, 2005 - The
Mail Tribune (Medford, OR.) Excerpt follows:
LAKE CREEK — Most of the
nearly 640 firefighters who spent six days battling the Wasson
Fire, Southern Oregon’s first summer wildfire, will head
home today, officials said.
Mop-up of the fire that burned
1,510 acres was expected to continue, with crews staying behind
to extinguish smoldering fires near the edges of the site and
to put erosion control measures in place on fire trails...
ODF
News Release - Sunday, July 31st, 2005
(In
PDF format - requires Adobe
Acrobat Reader 5.0 or higher, FREE if you need to download
it.)
At 9 a.m. Sunday, July 31st, ODF's Incident Management
Team's Incident Information Officer, Mike Barsotti, issued a final
news release on the 1,510-acre Wasson Fire stating that
began July 26th near Highway 140 in the Lake Creek area 15 miles
east of Eagle Point was 100 percent contained as of Saturday,
July 30th, at 6 p.m. Full text follows:
Note: This news release from
the Wasson Fire's incident management team was issued Sunday.
The team is turning the fire back over to the Oregon Department
of Forestry's Southwest Oregon District today. No further news
releases will be issued about the Wasson Fire unless there are
significant new developments.
Wasson Fire - Jackson County, Oregon 2005
For Immediate Release - Sunday, July 31,
2005 (9 A.M.)
The Wasson Fire, 15 miles east of Eagle
Point, was 100 percent contained yesterday at 6 p.m. The majority
of firefighters will be heading home tomorrow. A team of local
crews and other fire fighting resources will continue to “mop-up”
the remaining fire.
Today, firefighters continue “mop-up”
and rehabilitation of the burn. Mop-up consists of extinguishing
smoldering fires adjacent to the perimeter as well those in the
with interior areas that could later create control problems.
Rehabilitation, the final phase of work, focuses on erosion control
measures on fire trails built during the fire control effort.
Landowners are left to individually deal with the damage to their
forests.
The fire has burned on private and public
forest lands. Private forest ownership includes two private industrial
and three family forestland owners. Public ownership includes
USDA Forest Service and USDI Bureau of Land Management.
The Wasson Fire started Tuesday afternoon
as a result of a vehicle accident. The fire threatened the Oregon
Tiger Sanctuary and several homes but no structures were damaged
with the fire being halted one-half mile short of the structures.
Highway 140, the major roadway between
Medford and Klamath Falls was closed for a short time last evening,
but is now open with reduced speed limits for the area adjacent
to the fire. Motorists are urged to use caution while traveling
Highway140 through the fire area.
The fire is being managed by an Oregon
Department of Forestry Incident Management Team under the command
of Jim Walker.
Note: Management of the Wasson Fire returns
to the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Southwest Oregon
District on Monday. Their phone number is 664-3328.
###
‘Mop-up’
phase starts on Wasson fire
Sunday, July 31st, 2005 - by Chris
Conrad for The Mail Tribune (Medford, OR.) Excerpt follows:
It’s not over, but the worst
has apparently passed on the Wasson fire, which flared up this
week east of the Rogue Valley...
Fire lines put in place Friday held on
the 1,490-acre blaze, allowing crews Saturday to shift to "mop-up"
phase, officials said...
The last phase of "mop-up" involves
rehabilitation of burned areas, including erosion control to protect
streams from sediment that can be washed into them following fires.
ODF declared the fire fully contained
at 6 p.m. Saturday. It estimates the fire will be controlled by
Aug. 3...
Firefighters
‘overtake’ blaze: Wasson fire grows to 1,200 acres;
70 percent contained
Saturday, July 30th, 2005 - by
Mark Freeman for The Mail Tribune (Medford, OR.) Excerpt follows:
LAKE CREEK — An aggressive attack and swarms of crews on
the ground helped firefighters gain the upper hand Friday on the
Wasson fire off Highway 140 near here.
Though the fire’s size estimate
grew to 1,200 acres in part because of better mapping, ground
crews were able early Friday to encircle the fire with trails
for the first time since the blaze erupted Tuesday from a Highway
140 truck rollover.
Seven helicopters armed with water buckets
and fire retardant from three airplanes thumped Wasson’s
flames throughout Thursday, keeping the fire largely in check
while crews scratched a trail around the fire’s tenuously
held eastern flank.
As many as 750 firefighters and fire-team
workers were assigned to the fire Friday, when crews took advantage
of cooler temperatures and lighter winds to strengthen fire lines
by burning out pockets of grass and brush.
Because of a lack of other wildfires this
week, the Wasson fire has drawn significant manpower and equipment,
Barsotti said. But a new 1,200-acre lightning-sparked fire Thursday
near Klamath Falls drew some of state forestry’s Friday
firepower here, including all three airplanes, he said...
Crews
think they have 140 fire in hand (3 p.m. )
Friday, July 29th, 2005 - The Mail
Tribune (Medford, OR.) Excerpt follows:
LAKE CREEK — An aggressive
attack and swarms of crews on the ground today helped firefighters
gain the upper hand on the Wasson fire off Highway 140 near here.
The fire’s size estimate grew to
1,200 acres, in part because of better mapping. But ground crews
were able early today to encircle the fire with lines for the
first time since the blaze erupted Tuesday after a truck rolled
over on Highway 140.
Fire
creeps toward tigers: Tricky Wasson blaze keeps fire crews busy
as wind gusts help push flames toward exotic-animal sanctuary
Friday, July 29th, 2005 - by Jack
Moran for The Mail Tribune (Medford, OR.) Excerpt
follows:
LAKE CREEK — Southern Oregon’s largest wildfire of
the year moved dangerously close Thursday to an exotic-animal
sanctuary, leading fire officials to consider setting a smaller,
controlled blaze in an attempt to divert flames from the scenic
mountain community.
Hot temperatures and wind gusts helped
the blaze jump a fire line overnight and continue to burn Thursday
through steep, rugged terrain east of Lake Creek, making it impossible
for firefighters to battle much of it from the ground.
"As soon as the sun set (Wednesday),
we had to put all the (helicopters and air tankers) in,"
said Oregon Department of Forestry spokesman Brian Ballou. "About
a half-hour later, that thing started gobbling up the ridges."
At least 650 acres of forestland had been
consumed by late Thursday, Ballou said...
Klamath
fire grows to 1,235 acres
(3 p.m.)
Friday, July 29th, 2005 - The Mail
Tribune (Medford, OR.) Excerpt
follows:
KLAMATH FALLS — Fire crews
in Klamath County are battling a fire that has so far burned about
1,235 acres of brush and timber in an area about four miles from
Klamath Falls.
ODF News
Release - Thurs., July 28th, 2005
(In
PDF format - requires Adobe
Acrobat Reader 5.0 or higher, FREE if you need to download
it.)
On Thursday a.m. July 28th, the ODF issued a second news release
about the nearly 1,500-acre Wasson Fire that began July 26th near
Highway 140 in southern Oregon. Full text follows:
July 28, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - SOUTHWEST OREGON
NEWS MEDIA
OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY - SOUTHWEST
OREGON DISTRICT
5286 Table Rock RD - Central Point, OR 97502
Contact: Mike Barsotti;
Brian Ballou, (541) 664-3328
WASSON FIRE GROWS OVERNIGHT
The Wasson Fire grew to approximately
650 acres last night, making runs through steep, rugged canyons
and dense forest. Most of fire activity was on the east and northeast
flanks of the fire. Structures and a tiger sanctuary east of the
fire are threatened. The Lake Creek Fire Rural Protection District
is positioning its engines in those areas.
The Wasson Fire is 50 percent contained.
It is unknown when the Wasson Fire will be fully contained. Unfavorable
weather conditions are contributing to the fire’s continued
advances. Today, high temperatures near 100, upcanyon winds in
the afternoon hours, and low relative humidity will favor continued
advances by the fire.
An Oregon Department of Forestry incident
management team, headed by Incident Commander Jim Walker, is taking
control of battling the fire this morning. Three hundred firefighters
are assigned to the Wasson Fire, and a fire camp is set up at
Touvelle State Park.
Fire-fighting aircraft assigned to the
Wasson Fire include 8 helicopters and 3 airtankers, the latter
of which are staged at Medford Airtanker Base. Engines, crews
and fire management personnel and equipment are provided by the
Oregon Department of Forestry, Douglas and Coos forest protective
associations, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management,
Lake Creek Rural Fire Protection District and several contractors.
The fire started Tuesday afternoon near
Milepost 19 on Highway 140, east of White City. The Oregon Department
of Transportation and the Oregon State Police are managing traffic
on the highway in the fire area. Traffic flow may be slowed or
reduced to a single lane at times due to the fire activity adjacent
to the highway.
###
Crews battle blaze: Fire is 85 percent trailed in steep,
rocky terrain
Thursday, July 28th, 2005 - by
Jack Moran for The Mail Tribune (Medford, OR.) Excerpt
follows:
LAKE CREEK — While helicopters
and air tankers crisscrossed the smoky skies above her home, Tina
George relaxed Wednesday and said she wasn’t too concerned
about the 500-acre forest fire burning less than a mile away...
George likely has nothing to worry about.
Oregon Department of Forestry officials said late Wednesday that
the Wasson fire was moving slowly through steep, rugged terrain
north of the highway. No structures are threatened...
...The fire sparked Tuesday afternoon
when a tractor-trailer rig overturned near highway milepost 19,
Oregon State Police officials said.
...Four helicopters and two tankers are
being used on the fire. More than 150 firefighters are working
on the ground, "building a box" around the blaze, said
Dave Larson, a division supervisor with Grayback Forestry of Merlin.
"This is so steep, rugged and rocky,"
Larson said. "But we should be able to hold it."
ODF News
Release - Wed., July 27th, 2005
(In
PDF format - requires Adobe
Acrobat Reader 5.0 or higher, FREE if you need to download
it.)
ODF first released news about the Wasson Fire on
Wednesday, July 27th. Full text follows:
July 27, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - SOUTHWEST OREGON
NEWS MEDIA
OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY - SOUTHWEST
OREGON DISTRICT
5286 Table Rock RD - Central Point, OR 97502
WASSON FIRE BURNS 300 ACRES BESIDE HIGHWAY
140
The Wasson Fire broke out yesterday afternoon
near Milepost 19 on Highway 140, east of White City, and burned
approximately 300 acres of private and Bureau of Land Management
forestland. The fire is burning is steep, rugged terrain north
of the highway. Vehicle traffic on the highway is limited to one
lane, and roadblocks are established at both ends of the fire.
The fire is being managed by the Oregon
Department of Forestry’s Medford Unit, and the incident
commander is Unit Forester Greg Alexander. Engines and firefighters
on scene are from the Oregon Department of Forestry, Douglas and
Coos forest protective associations, the U.S. Forest Service,
the Bureau of Land Management, Lake Creek Rural Fire Protection
District and several contractors. Traffic control is managed by
the Oregon Department of Transportation and the Oregon State Police.
Landowners have also assisted with the fire suppression effort.
Firefighters have established fire line
around 85 percent of the fire’s perimeter, and estimate
the fire is 50 percent contained. A troublesome area in the fire’s
northeast corner kept fire crews busy all night, and is a focus
point for firefighters working today’s shifts. Two helicopters
are assigned to the fire for reconnaissance and water delivery,
and airtankers are available at the Medford Airtanker Base.
Other suppression resources assigned to
the Wasson Fire include 8 engines, 2 bulldozers, 6 20 crews and
6 water tenders. More than 150 firefighters are working day and
night shifts on the fire.
A vehicle accident may have caused the
fire, which was reported at 2:24 p.m. Tuesday. An investigation
of the accident and the fire’s specific cause is underway.
No homes are immediately threatened by
the Wasson Fire. However, the Lake Creek Fire Protection District
is working with ODF’s incident managers and is available
to provide structural fire protection if necessary.
###
Wildfire
chars 100 acres east of White City: Blaze along Hwy. 140 spreads
toward forest homes; 'It's a long way from being over'
Wednesday, July 27th, 2005 - by
Chris Conrad for The Mail Tribune (Medford, OR.) Excerpt
follows:
Fire crews Tuesday fought to contain
the Rogue Valley’s largest wildfire of the year as it burned
more than 100 acres of grass and forestland along Highway 140
about 20 miles east of White City.
The blaze began around 2:30 p.m. when
a tractor-trailer rig overturned on Highway 140 near milepost
19, sparking the fire. No one was injured in the crash, Oregon
State Police Capt. Kurt Barthel said.
Strong winds pushed the fire east toward
some forest homes — one of which serves as a tiger sanctuary
— just outside of Lake Creek, Oregon Department of Forestry
spokesman Brian Ballou said.
"It was burning pretty aggressively
between 3 and 4:30 p.m. It was being pushed by a stiff up-canyon
wind," Ballou said...
Friend
says driver in fatal wreck was drinking: Deceased
child said to have been at a mountain party with his father shortly
before crash
Thurs., July 21st, 2005 - by Robert
Plain for the Ashland Daily Tidings (Ashland, OR.) - Section A
Excerpt follows:
"Alcohol may have been a factor
in a car wreck near Mount Ashland that killed 11-year-old Dametri
Martin of Medford, according to Jackson County Sgt. Dace Cochran
and friend of the family Mike Standard, who was at a campfire
with them just prior to the accident. The Chevy Blazer driven
by the boy's father, Jason Martin, whose fiancee was also a
passenger, rolled 225 feet down a steep hillside."
"Standard said some friends were
drinking alcohol by a campfire on the mountain when the party
began to get too rowdy...a fight broke out... 'I'm terribly
sorry this happened,' Standard said. 'He was in no shape to
drive.' "
"Police said the boy, who was not
wearing a seat belt, was most likely killed instantly when he
was ejected from the vehicle. Burbeula was also ejected... Cochran
said the two adults likely didn't move during the night... [w]hen
the sun came up, they found the child dead about 30 feet behind
the car..."
Car
plunge kills child: Mother, father
injured as vehicle tumbles 1,000 feet down side of Mount Ashland
Wed., July 20th, 2005 - by Robert
Plain for the Ashland Daily Tidings (Ashland, OR.) - Page 1A
Excerpt follows:
"A child died in a car accident
on Mount Ashland this morning. His family was driving on a logging
road on the south side of the mountain near Forest Road 20 when
the car left the road and plunged 1,000 feet over the steep
embankment, hitting several trees on the way down, according
to Ashland Fire and Rescue."
"AFR sent one ambulance to the
scene. The Colestin Fire Department had five vehicles on the
scene, according to Hollingsworth and the Forest Service responded
with one truck. Two sheriff's cars were seen speeding to the
scene by Mount Ashland employees early this morning."
Drier
conditions will force start of 2005 fire season
24 June 2005 - by Jack Moran for
The Mail Tribune (Medford, OR.) - Page 1A
Excerpt follows:
"A series of small
fires this week in and around the Rogue Valley has prompted
Oregon Department of Forestry officials to declare fire season
open in Jackson and Josephine counties.
"Fire season on state
and private lands begins at 12:01 a.m. Monday - one of the latest
season starts on record, ODF spokesman Brian Ballou said...
"Beginning Monday,
debris burning is prohibited on ODF-protected lands...
"A wet spring pushed
back the opening of fire season in Jackson and Josephine counties.
The only other year since 1967 in which fire season was declared
at a later date was in 1998, when it began in early July, Ballou
said. Last year's fire season began June 4..."
"Recent rains dilute drought, fire
season fears: But experts warn that things can
change quickly, in spite of rapidly filling reservoirs."
Mon., May 9, 2005 - The AP (Portland) / The Mail Tribune (Medford)
- Page 4A.
Excerpt follows:
"Recent rains have doused talk
of severe water shortages.
As a result, the most dire forecasts
for farmers, salmon, reservoirs and the upcoming fire season
have become less dire. Still, officials warn that the situation
could change at a moment's notice if the generous showers suddenly
dry up.
'Things could spin around on a dime,'
said hydrologist and meteorologist Kyle Martin of the Columbia
River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. 'We still have to plan for
the worst and hope for the best.'
One of the largest impacts of the recent
precipitation has been on some of Oregon's reservoirs.
... water levels in six of the 10 reservoirs
run by the [ U.S. Army] corps [of Engineers] have climbed swiftly
to near normal levels for this date and are within 10 feet of
filling.
...The outlook for wildfires has also
changed for the better. In March, forecasters predicted a fire
season of historic proportions developing in the Northwest.
'The predictions were doom and gloom
- the worst season in recorded history. Now you're not hearing
so much talk,' said Jim Wrightson, a fire fuel specialist with
the U.S. Forest Service at the Mt. Hood National Forest. Wrightson
and co-workers had to postpone a prescribed burn this week:
'It's just been too wet,' he said.
Still, Oregon and Washington face an
active fire season, according to the latest federal forecast.
The record low snowpack in the mountains is likely to melt away
a month earlier than usual, allowing mountain forests more time
to dry out..."
"Fire
Lines: Effort to educate homeowners about fire safety continues
with Ashland class today." Sat.,
April 9, 2005 - by John Darling for The Mail Tribune (Medford)
- Life, Page 1B.
Excerpt follows:
"A free Ashland class
today will teach homeowners about 'firescaping' their property.
...In the class, residents
in the boundaries between town and woodlands will learn how
to landscape, not just for looks but to make their surroundings
a barrier to blazes, said Chris Chambers, wildfire fuels reduction
coordinator for the city of Ashland.
...What works, said Chambers,
who is teaching today's class, is to reduce not only the amount
of fuel 100 feet in each direction around your house, but also
the type of plants you have.
...You create three zones
around the home: the first, nearest the house, where you have
fire-resistant plants and keep them well watered; the second,
where you clear ground and have few trees and no bushes to ladder
fire; and the third, where you thin forest to create groves,
said [Kerry] KenCairn [of Ashland, who co-teaches the firescaping
class].
...Firescaping is no longer
an option in many parts of Oregon. Oregon's new Forestland-Urban
Interface Protection Act starting this year requires homeowners
on steep and/or forested land to create defensible spaces around
their homes. The work must be completed within two years.
Since the law's passage,
lands throughout the state have been surveyed, and affected
areas have been classified as high risk (oak and grasslands)
or extreme risk (conifer and brush), said Brian Ballou, wildland-urban
interface specialist with the Oregon Department of Forestry
in Central Point.
'The focus is fuel reduction
- creating a fuel break of 30 feet for high risk and 50 feet
for extreme risk, stretching to 100 feet for wood-shake roofs,'
said Ballou..."
"Which
plants resist fire best? (Firescaping resources available online)"
Sat., April 9, 2005 - The Mail Tribune (Medford) - Life, 1B
[Gives links to firescaping resources.]
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