Sixteen lightning-caused fires have been found and staffed on lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Southwest Oregon District. A dozen of the fires are on the Medford Unit and four on the Grants Pass Unit. Two of the fires were 1/2 acre in size and most of the others are 1/10th of an acre in size or smaller.
Firefighters and equipment are making their way into fires in the Jump Off Joe Creek area, north of Grants Pass; the Little Butte Creek area, east of White City; and in the Soda Mountain Wilderness, east of Ashland.
Three helicopters have been available to the firefighters for dropping water on hot spots. An airplane has also been flying all day, searching for smokes and assisting firefighters by providing fire location and access information.