If You See Smoke Rising From the North River Road Fire ...

People driving past the North River Road Fire may see occasional plumes of smoke rising from the burned area. This is not unusual, but if a particularly large plume of smoke is seen, call the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Grants Pass dispatch office at (541) 471-3883.

If you see a big plume of smoke anywhere outside of the North River Road Fire area, call 9-1-1.

Roadblock on North River Road Comes Down Tonight

The roadblocks on North River Road, between the eastern edge of the city of Rogue River and Twin Bridges Rd., will be removed by 6:00 p.m. today. The roadblocks were put in place late Thursday after the North River Road Fire crossed the pavement. Fire suppression-related traffic has been heavy in the area, and the road has been limited to fire vehicles and local residents.

Most of the fire suppression activity has moved away from the road as fire crews penetrate deeper into the burned area.

North River Road Fire Contained

The 565-acre North River Road Fire, located east of the city of Rogue River, was declared fully contained at 7:00 p.m. Friday. The 200 firefighters working today’s day shift will focus on extinguishing remaining hotspots within 100-150 feet of firelines and structures.

Yesterday, fire investigators said the roadside fires that ignited the North River Road Fire on Thursday afternoon were caused by a vehicle traveling in the northbound lane of Interstate 5. The vehicle sprayed sparks onto roadside grass, which spread fire to nearby blackberry thickets and other flammable fuels. The type of vehicle, the owner of the vehicle, and what specifically caused the sparks are unknown.

Out-of-area structural fire protection crews and engines were released from the North River Road Fire late yesterday, and are returning to their home units this morning.

North River Road Fire 40 Percent Contained

Fire crews working on the North River Road Fire, east of the city of Rogue River, made good progress overnight with building fireline and knocking down hotspots along the fire’s perimeter. The fire is estimated at 425 acres in size and is 40 percent contained. Approximately 300 firefighters are assigned to the fire today.

A second fire west of the city of Rogue River, next to Foothill Blvd., is contained at 2.5 acres.

North River Road is closed to the public between the city of Rogue River and Twin Bridges Rd. Residents who were advised to evacuate from their homes yesterday have been allowed to return. At least 25 homes were threatened by the North River Road and Foothill Blvd. fires.

No homes burned in the fires, but three outbuildings and one vehicle were destroyed. No injuries have been reported.

The cause of the fires, which broke out after 4:00 p.m. Thursday, is being investigated. A series of fires started along the edge of Interstate 5’s northbound lane between mile markers 45 and 48.

Wildfire Burns 400 Acres in Rogue River Area

A string of small grass and brush fires along Interstate 5 near the city of Rogue River started two wildfires that threatened approximately 40 homes. One of the fires burned more than 400 acres east of the city, and the second fire burned 2.5 acres west of the city. The 400-acre fire crossed North River Road, where most of the homes are located, and burned up the south side of Tin Pan Peak. The 2.5-acre fire burned next to Foothill Blvd.

The fires were reported at 4:20 p.m. today.

Structural fire engines from many fire departments in Jackson and Josephine counties responded to the fire, along with engines, bulldozers, helicopters and airtankers from the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Medford and Grants Pass units.

More than 200 firefighters are working tonight to complete a fireline around the blaze, and to protect homes and other structures. A few outbuildings are known to have burned, but no injuries have been reported.

Residents in the fire area along North River Road were advised to evacuate. An evacuation center is located at Rogue River Elementary School. North River Road remains closed in the fire area.

Call (541) 776-7338 for information about the evacuation center and road closures.

Debris Burning Not Allowed

Firefighters from the Oregon Department of Forestry and rural fire protection districts have been responding to a higher than normal number of illegal burns on residential lands, primarily in Josephine County. The open burning of debris piles and the use of burn barrels is not allowed on ODF-protected lands in Jackson and Josephine counties during fire season, which began July 1.

People who burn debris, whether in piles or in burn barrels, may be cited for failing to comply with the fire prevention regulations currently in effect. If a wildfire is caused by debris burning, the responsible party may be billed for fire suppression costs.

Details on fire prevention restrictions that are in effect are available online at www.swofire.oregon.gov, and from the following ODF unit offices:

• Medford Unit, 5286 Table Rock Rd., (541) 664-3328


• Grants Pass Unit, 5375 Monument Dr., (541) 474-3152

Upper Applegate Fire Burns 2.5 Acres

A fire broke out shortly after 2:00 p.m. Tuesday in the 7000 block of Upper Applegate Road. The first firefighters on scene reported that a car, an outbuilding and some trees were afire, and the fire was spreading up a hill. ODF and US Forest Service engine crews, and firefighters from Applegate Valley Fire District #9 stopped the wildfire at 1/2 acre.

Two hours later, firefighters responded to a wildfire that was also in the Upper Applegate Road area, 1/4 mile from the earlier fire. The second fire was determined to have been caused by firebrands from the earlier fire.

Three helicopters dropped water from buckets onto the second fire while engine crews and other firefighters, assisted by the bulldozer from ODF's Medford Unit, constructed fireline around the fire's edge. By nightfall, the fire had been significantly cooled down, and a Jackson County Community Justice crew completed the fireline and continued mopping up hot spots. The Community Justice crew left the fireline at 3:30 a.m. today.

The second fire was contained at 2 acres.

Crews will be working on these fires today, continuing to mop up up remaining hot spots.

Other ODF engine crews will continue to mop up slash piles that burned west of Trail on Tuesday. The cause of the fires remains under investigation.

ODF Crews Respond to Cluster of Fires

[ updated 2:00 p.m. ]

Engine crews from ODF's Medford Unit responded this morning to a cluster of five fires in the West Fork of Trail Creek area. The fires are on privately owned forestland and are burning in old logging slash. The largest fire is 1/2 acre and the other four are approximately 1/4 acre each.

Four of the fires were reported at 6:48 a.m. today. The fifth was discovered a couple hours later. Six ODF engines, bulldozers from the Medford and Grants Pass units, a fireline-digging crew, and the Medford Unit's small helicopter are working to construct fireline around the fires and mop them up.

The cause of the fires is under investigation.

Slow Fire Activity Continues on ODF-Protected Lands

Firefighters on ODF's Grants Pass and Medford units continue to chase small brush and grass fires in Jackson and Josephine counties, but overall fire activity remains significantly lower than normal. Southwest Oregon District firefighters have responded to 62 fires so fire during this fire season, and a total of 15.17 acres have burned. This is significantly lower than the 10-year average of 138 fires and 5,081 acres burned.

For further details, see the Southwest Oregon District's fire statistics page.

Why has this fire season had so few fires? Why have so few acres burned? The reasons are:

• A wet spring and early summer


• Cooler than normal summertime temperatures


• Few thunderstorms

While moderate temperatures are forecast for the coming week, the vegetation continues to dry out, and this means fires can start easily in grass and brush, and spread quickly. Please continue to use extreme caution in wildland areas to prevent wildfires.