Merlin, Medford ranked as highest exposure to wildfires, study says

MEDFORD, Ore.– An independent study requested by the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Regional Office ranked the top 50 communities in Oregon and Washington at-risk of wildfires.

In Oregon, six of the top ten communities on the list were found in Jackson and Josephine County. The top three had Merlin and Medford as two of the communities with some of the highest exposures to wildfires.

According to the study done by Pyrologix, a Montana-based wildfire threat assessment research firm, the rankings were decided by factors such as the likelihood of fires based on the landscape and population density.

In Merlin, which took the number one spot, Rural Metro Fire is taking this data into account but says there is only so much it can do.

“Every year there is a plea to the general public to ensure that they’re doing their part to protect around their own homes,” said Division Chief Austin Prince. “People who have those properties are the key to safety.”

Rural Metro says there is an ominous relationship between the Camp Fire in California and the Hugo Fire in Josephine County this year. Prince says if circumstances were different, the Merlin area could have seen the same devastation as Paradise.

That’s why fire agencies, especially in light of studies like this, are stressing for people to protect their homes and communities.

In Medford, which took third place in the rankings is also prepping for next season with this study in hand.

Medford’s emergency manager Melissa Cano says it’s important to note the report is from a federal not local perspective.

She says the report certainly took into account Medford’s population level which is much larger than other area cities. She hopes community members always look to reduce the risk of fire.

“As we continue to build homes and have people move into our city it’s important to not just educate our community but be mindful of what we do to mitigate the area,” she said. “And we actively mitigate the area.”

While Medford Fire-Rescue isn’t allowed to do controlled burns, Cano says they regularly maintain Roxy Ann and Prescott Park to mitigate fire risk as well.

To see which cities are ranked in the top 50, you can find out more here.

Listed below are the top 10: