JACKSON & JOSEPHINE COUNTIES, Ore. (July 8, 2025) – Firefighters with the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) Southwest Oregon District are continuing to respond to 53 reports of smoke and fire following thunderstorms that moved through Jackson and Josephine counties Monday evening. Of the 53 reports, 17 have been found to be duplicates or not fires, resulting in 22 confirmed fires across the district and an additional 14 reports that are pending. Resources have been engaged on these 22 incidents all night, and as a result, seven are already 100% lined and mopped up, leaving 15 active and staffed. As fires are lined and mopped up, resources are continually being dispatched to pending calls.
This morning, firefighters remain engaged on three major fires, the largest being an estimated 50 acres in size. The following is a current look at incident status:
- The Heppsie Mountain Fire, located off of Highway 140 north of Lake Creek. Estimated to be 50 acres, this fire is located on steep terrain with numerous hazard trees. Overnight, large trees were falling while
- firefighters were working in the area. Resources ordered for today’s dayshift include four 20-person crews, five bulldozers, three sets of tree fallers, two water tenders and one engine, totaling 100 personnel. Additionally, two Large Air Tankers (LATs), two Type 1 helicopters and an air attack plane have also been ordered. Firefighters will focus on falling hazard trees and working to line the fire and keep it as small as possible.
- The Poole Hill Fire, located south of the Heppsie Mountain Fire across South Fork Little Butte Creek Road, is estimated to be three to five acres. Firefighters are actively engaged on this incident. Due to the proximity of the Heppsie Mountain and Poole Hill fires, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Management issued a Level 1 – BE READY evacuation notice for the 11000-block of South Fork Little Butte Creek Road last night, which remains in place this morning. More information is available here: https://protect.genasys.com/. This is the only current evacuation notice in place on any fire. Additional fire reports have been made in this area; recon flights beginning at 8:00 a.m. will provide additional information to firefighters on the ground.
- The Pompadour Fire, located in the hills east of Ashland off of East Nevada Street and Pompadour Drive. Firefighters were able to line 100% of the fire’s perimeter and stop its growth at 38 acres. Overnight, resources began mop-up operations and have completed 10%. Today, four 20-person crews, two bulldozers and one engine are assigned to the fire, totaling 86 personnel. Aircraft will be ordered as needed.
All other staffed fires are estimated to be between 1/10 of an acre and six acres. This morning, two reconnaissance flights will be launching at 8:00 a.m., covering all strike areas across the district. These flights will provide better information in the daylight of current fires, and allow us to get eyes on pending reports, confirm duplicate reports and provide insight on fire status to be strategic with ordering and dispatching resources. The ODF Southwest Oregon Detection Center will also be monitoring cameras in these strike areas today and reporting any smoke or fires found across the district.
Last night, a strike team of five engines from the ODF Southern Oregon Area arrived and were dispatched to fires; this morning, another five-engine strike team is mobilizing from the ODF Northwest Oregon Area. The district has also ordered an additional two 20-person crews, seven engines, one water tender and one bulldozer to be available where needed as initial attack on these fires continues. In total, 266 personnel are assigned to these fires for today’s dayshift, and more resources will be ordered and assigned for Tuesday night where needed.
ODF resources are continuing to work with our federal partners at the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in response to these fires, as well as local and county structural fire departments. This teamwork is a direct reflection of the complete and coordinated fire response system in place here in southern Oregon.
High fire danger is currently in effect on ODF-protected land in Jackson and Josephine counties; as firefighters work to extinguish these natural fire starts, help prevent new human-caused fires from sparking by following all regulations currently in place: https://swofire.com/public-fire-restrictions/
For fire information anytime, visit our Facebook page, @ODFSouthwest or our website, www.swofire.com.