Josephine County, Ore. — Five fires in four days – all one after another, all in Josephine County. The pattern has local agencies concerned as weather continues to heat up, and conditions get drier. According to Rural Metro Fire in Josephine County, all five fires human-caused. Now, with fireworks for sale and a big holiday around the corner, local firefighters are concerned.
“This time, say compared to the past few years – our fuel moisture is quite dried out and what that means is the likelihood of a fire to start and spread is greater than maybe it has been in past years,” said Melissa Cano, Oregon Department of Forestry.
That reason could be part of what contributed to the past five consecutive fires in Josephine County this week. A grass fire near I-5 Monday, a grass fire in Jones Creek Tuesday, an escaped open fire on Summit Loop Wednesday, and a grass and brush fire in Merlin Thursday. A fifth fire is being attributed to sparks showering down from a power pole.
“Fires are typically growing faster and larger than they do this time of year – there’s a higher potential for danger,” said Lieutenant Ben Nehf, Rural Metro Fire.
“Taking a look at some of this grass and brush that might be even surrounding our helicopter pad, which we trim often – it tends to dry out more quickly after a rain. And in some cases – this is what leads to some of those catastrophic fires. It can start in a place where the brush might be low and maintained – however, it can take off and get into timber and burn more hot,” Cano said.
“Being a preventable fire, the actions that you’re doing. You – if you just put a little bit of thought into it – and say is what I’m doing have the potential for causing a fire,” Lt. Nehf said.
Rural Metro Fire said it doesn’t have any reason to believe the fires are connected in any way. It said, however – all five fires could have been prevented.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.