Firefighters continue an aggressive attack on the Board Shanty Fire, GPS mapped at 409 acres  

July 18, 2025

GRANTS PASS, Ore. (July 18, 2025)—Today, incident resources continued an aggressive extended attack on the 409-acre Board Shanty Fire, located south of Grants Pass. Firefighters continued direct suppression tactics amid very active fire behavior, which generated a large column and smoky conditions. Heavy smoke may continue into the evening and will likely dissipate with cooler temperatures, similar to last night.

Firefighters successfully held the fire north of Board Shanty Creek and were able to build hand and bulldozer containment lines along the majority of the fire, tying together the north, west and south sides, and even adding hose lays to the north and west ends of the fire for water access. Firefighters continue to focus on the head of the fire along the eastern side, as they attempt to put in direct and contingency lines.

Crews were greatly aided by water and retardant drops from aviation assets. Drone use near fires is both illegal and extremely dangerous to pilots working on incidents. If you fly, we can’t. All illegal drone use will be reported to law enforcement.

Fire behavior is expected to remain active tonight, and incident resources will continue an aggressive extended attack overnight as they attempt to complete containment and hold the fire within its current footprint.

Hot temperatures, low humidity and gusty wind conditions persist in the area, naturally increasing fire risk and contributing to potential fire growth; help prevent the next wildfire by following all local regulations, found here: https://swofire.com/public-fire-restrictions/. If your weekend plans take you outside, please be aware of the fire risks and recreate safely: https://www.blm.gov/programs/public-safety-and-fire/fire-and-aviation/regional-info/oregon-washington/fire-restrictions

Due to the Board Shanty Fire south of Grants Pass, the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Management placed Zones JCU-436, JCU-437 and JCU-448-Aunder a Level 2 – Be Set to evacuate notice and a Level 1 – BE READY for JCU-448-B. Additionally, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Management have placed Zone JAC-068 under a Level 1 – Be Ready evacuation notice. For the latest updates on evacuations, visit: https://protect.genasys.com.

Resources from ODF Southwest Oregon District, Grants Pass Fire, Rural Metro Fire, Rogue Valley fire agencies and ODF CIMT 3 responded to the rapidly growing Board Shanty Fire around 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 17. ODF CIMT 3 took command of the fire in the morning on Friday, July 18.

For more fire information, visit the district’s Facebook page, @ODFSouthwest or website, www.swofire.com.

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