Crews wrap up fighting several small wildfires in Jackson, Josephine Counties

CENTRAL POINT, Ore. – Several lightning-caused fires in Southwest Oregon were put out before they could spread this past Fourth of July weekend.

The Oregon Department of Forestry said during a thunderstorm that rolled through Jackson County on Saturday and Josephine County on Sunday, lightning sparked seven wildfires. Six of those were in Jackson County.

The largest fire, and the only one crews are still working on, is the Skookum Creek Fire located near the Oregon-California border in the Soda Mountain Wilderness. That fire covers about six acres and is completely lined and 25% mopped up.

ODF stated, “The other five fires in Jackson County included the Rattlesnake Point Fire, located off of Dead Indian Memorial Road southeast of Ashland, the Y Creek Fire, located on Mt. Ashland to the north of Mt. Ashland Ski Road, the Valley View Road Fire, located east of Valley View Road, the Worthington Fire, located near Worthington Road northeast of Eagle Point and the Hobart Fire, located in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. The largest of these fires was the Rattlesnake Point Fire, caught at one acre. In Josephine County, the Ajax Gulch Fire was reported July 3, following a lightning strike west of Wolf Creek. When firefighters arrived on scene, they found a single tree had been struck and was on fire. They were able to extinguish it, with the final fire size being 1/100th of an acre. All six of these fires are extinguished.”

ODF firefighters will continue to patrol the area for any potential holdover fires.