Jackson County responds to water outage, wildfire threat

JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. — While the water problem in Shady Cove was occurring, county officials got word of Wednesday’s fire near Ashland.

As Jackson County Emergency Management staff were meeting in Shady Cove to provide potable water and other necessary services, they were alerted of the growing fire near I-5.

The county says it rapidly established an emergency shelter at the Jackson County Expo and coordinated with the Red Cross to secure additional sheltering options for potential evacuees.

Steve Lambert, Director of Roads and Parks said, “we continue each year to coordinate with all the different county departments. I am in roads and parks and I’m working alongside emergency management, so are other departments, and It’s that coordination, practice, and training that I am really proud of that makes our response so quick for residents.”

“Jackson County Emergency Management is dedicated to assisting our partners when they encounter these types of challenges,” stated Assistant Emergency Manager, Delaney Payne. “Our countywide department response plan enables us to react swiftly and meet community needs in such circumstances. This week’s events highlight our ability to effectively address multiple challenges simultaneously and meet community expectations.”

Drinking water is currently available for those in need at the Fire District 4 station in Shady Cove.

The 13-acre fire south of Ashland was 100% lined and forward progress was stopped by 7:20 pm Wednesday night.