GRANTS PASS, Ore. (July 19, 2025)—Today, crews working on the Board Shanty Fire, south of Grants Pass, established direct control line around the fire’s southeast edge. Due to steep slopes and rolling debris from overnight, the fire was mapped this afternoon at 469 acres, slightly increasing its footprint. With today’s work complete, control lines are secure around the area that saw new growth. Firefighters will continue to place hose lines around the fire, enabling crews to cool the fire’s edge.
“Things are looking promising, but there’s still a fight up there. Our focus remains on community and firefighter safety, and getting this fire off the map,” said Incident Commander Tyler McCarty. “We’re proud of the crews and all their hard work.”
Hand crews held the fire north of Shanty Creek and continued to establish a contingency line on the ridges south of Shanty Creek. High temperatures and gusty winds continue to drive fire behavior and have the potential to loft embers outside the fire. Firefighters remain vigilant in patrolling for spot fires in the area but have found none.
Aviation resources continued with water drops to cool and slow fire growth today so ground crews can fortify containment lines. As a reminder, 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.
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-A under 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 Oregon Department of Forestry’s (ODF) Southwest Oregon District, Grants Pass Fire, Rural Metro Fire, Rogue Valley fire agencies and ODF Complex Incident Management Team 3 (CIMT-3) responded to the Board Shanty Fire Thursday, July 17. ODF CIMT 3 took command of the fire on Friday, July 18. For more fire information, visit the district’s Facebook page, @ODFSouthwest or www.swofire.com.
A combination of hot temperatures and dry vegetation continues to increase the risk of fires starting and spreading. 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.