ODF Southwest responds to Elkhorn Butte Fire northwest of Sams Valley

JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. – A wildfire, breaking out overnight northwest of Sams Valley.

Around 11 p.m. on Wednesday night, ODF Southwest received calls about a fire.

The Elkhorn Butte Fire, as it’s called, is burning on BLM and private land near the right fork of Sardine Creek road.

ODF Southwest said it was caught at just over 9.5 acres.

“Overnight and into the morning, they put in a tremendous amount of work and were able to line the fire 100% by noon today,” ODF Southwest spokesperson Natalie Weber said. “Despite the steep slopes that they’re encountering out here.”

ODF said there’s no threat to homes nearby, as crews get a handle on the fire.

Over 80 crew members and numerous engines responded to the fire.

Mop up on the fire has begun, but depending what progress is made Thursday, more crews could be called in.

“If necessary, we will be bringing in addition resources tonight to either continue that mop up work or make sure it doesn’t spread beyond what it has,” Weber said.

Weber said the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Although we don’t know if this fire was human-caused, with Memorial Day weekend on the horizon, ODF is asking the public to be cautious.

“We definitely see an increase in calls on holiday weekends because people are off, they’re doing things like grilling, barbecuing, having camp fires, things like that,” Weber said. “And so just being aware of that increased risk, while we’re having fun and doing this activities is really what counts and makes a difference.”

ODF asking people to always be prepared, have a water source available, tools like a shovel at the ready and call 9-1-1 immediately, if you can’t control the fire.

Fire season is around the corner, ODF said it will start no later than June 1.

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NBC5 News reporter Zachary Larsen grew up in Surprise, Arizona. He graduated from Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism. At ASU, Zack interned at Arizona Sports 98.7FM and Softball America. During his Junior year, Zack joined the ASU Sports Bureau. He covered the Fiesta Bowl, the Phoenix Open and major basketball tournaments. Zack enjoys working out, creative writing, music, and rooting for his ASU Sun Devils.
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