JACKSON & JOSEPHINE COUNTIES, Ore. (Aug. 22, 2022) – Significant progress has been made on the fires within the Westside and Lightning Gulch Complexes, located in Jackson and Josephine Counties respectively. Since Wednesday’s thunderstorm, approximately 50 fires resulted following lightning strikes across both counties. Windy conditions that were expected to test fire lines today did not break any perimeters and all lines are holding strong. Mop-up operations are steadily continuing and fire activity is extremely limited to none.
On the Westside Complex, there were originally eight fires burning on and around Tallowbox Mountain in the Applegate Valley. Of those, only three remain in mop-up status; 180 acres were burned total on this complex. On the Lightning Gulch Complex, 40 plus fires were reported following the storms, the only fires that remain active are the Rum Creek and Hog Creek Fires. The command of these two fires have been transferred to Pacific Northwest Incident Management Team 13. For future updates on these two incidents, follow https://www.facebook.com/rumcreekfire2022.
Today on the Chapman Fire, an adult in custody firefighter suffered a medical emergency and needed to be removed from the fire line. Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue dispatched their contracted helicopter to the incident and short-hauled the firefighter to the road when the individual was taken by Mercy Flights to a local hospital. The firefighter’s condition is unknown at this time.
When mop-up operations on the fires conclude, firefighters will be conducting suppression repair activities on these incidents. The objective of suppression repair is to mitigate any adverse effects to the land, water and property resources directly resulting from fire suppression activities. Primary suppression repair needs are erosion control, preventing the establishment of noxious weeds, preventing public access into the burn area vis vehicles and/or OHVs, and clean-up of refuse from suppression activities.
No homes were ever directly threatened, despite the large number of fires on the landscape, and no evacuation orders were ever placed. Oregon Department of Forestry and the Bureau of Land Management would like to thank our partner agencies who dedicated time and resources to help suppress these fires.
Due to the status of these fires, this will be the final update unless conditions significantly change. Fire information is always available on our Facebook page @ODF Southwest Oregon District.