Fire Officials: Six grass fires in six days on the Greenway

Medford, Ore. — On Saturday, firefighters were out on the Bear Creek Greenway, mopping up hot spots from grass fires in the area. In less than a week, fire crews have responded to six grass fires near the bike path, between Medford and Central Point. Officials say they’re investigating a possible connection between the recent blazes, and nearby transient camps.

“Are we concerned? Yes,” Medford Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Erin Sawall said. “At this point it’s still under investigation… highly concerned of the correlation of the area with transients, as well as our public area.”

While an exact cause is not known, investigators are looking at the fires as possible arson cases. Since last Sunday, crews have spent a large amount of time on the short stretch of the bike path.

“We’ve had six fires down along the Greenway on the bike path area,” Sawall said. “We will have an increased presence in fire, as well as law enforcement down here, keeping an eye on this.”

Each fire remains under investigation. Anyone with any information is asked to call Medford Fire-Rescue.