A look back at fire season

MEDFORD, Ore.- Jackson County Commissioners met with fire managers to discuss how this past fire season went and what they can improve for next year.

Merv George, District Forester for the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest said this fire season was like nothing he’s ever seen.

“We are seeing fire behavior these days where a dozer line isn’t going to be big enough to control some of the fire activity,” George said.

The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Bureau of Land Management all said most fires started on July 15.

“During the lightning event on July 15, we attacked over 100 fires, so there is a list of fire names out there that the public will never be aware of,” District Forester Dave Larson said.

With such a long fire season, Elizabeth Burchard with BLM said it’s cost a lot.

“Tens of millions of dollars were put into fire suppression this year,” Burchard said.

Now the agencies are working on wrapping up this fire season and looking ahead to what can be done before next summer.

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