Medco B Fire 90% contained

BUTTE FALLS, Ore. – **UPDATE 5/6/19 9:00 AM** – A wildfire that sparked Saturday afternoon in Jackson County is now 90% contained.

The Medco B Fire is burning about 10 miles north-northeast of Butte Falls. As of Monday morning, it is just under 350 acres.

More than 100 firefighters are working to put the fire out. There are no structures threatened and no road closures.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Click HERE for more information.

###

A fire that started from an unknown origin is reaching full containment as investigators begin to piece together what happened in the hills just north of Butte Falls.

The Medco B Fire was at 90 percent lined as of 5 p.m. Sunday afternoon. According to the Oregon Department of Forestry, the fire has burned about 350 acres of land right near Medco Pond off of the Butte Falls-Prospect Road.

Over 100 personnel from various local, state and federal organizations have been working to contain the fire that officials believe started around 1:30 Saturday afternoon.

Brian Ballou, public information officer for ODF, says that on Saturday steady winds in the afternoon were one the main factors in the quick spread of the fire. One other factor was the land the fire burned through had very little tree coverage due to being clear-cut and harvested several years ago. According to Ballou, a fire in this area at this time of year is highly unusual.

“Probably get one of these every decade or so,” he said. “But when we started getting a continuous stretch of unusually warm, dry weather from April on, then you start to get a sense that something could start to break out.”

While no structures or properties were threatened by this fire, firefighters say that there could still be the risk of a jump and ask that residents in the nearby area be vigilant and watch for any signs of new smoke or fire.

The U.S. Forest Service would also like to warn landowners to be extra cautious as things are beginning to dry out quickly in the lower elevations. As we move closer to May, organizations suggest putting off any more debris burns unless more rain comes through.

Ballou says it would be great for everyone if some more bouts of rain were to come leading up to June to help dampen things a little before the hotter months this summer.

“I think everyone would like to see a fire season unlike the one we had last year.”


The Oregon Department of Forestry is reporting a fire burning about ten miles northeast of Butte Falls. Right now it’s about 150 acres and it’s burning near Medco Pond.

Brian Ballou with the Oregon Department of Forestry says it started just after 1:30 Saturday afternoon and started to spread around 5:30 P.M. due to some winds in the area.

ODF has about 30 firefighters battling the flames along with a helicopter, one bulldozer, and seven fire engines.

Ballou says the fire hasn’t gotten any worse since the jump around 5:30 Saturday evening. He says ODF is hopeful to get a fire line around it, and there’s still no cause as of tonight.

Stay with NBC5 News for updates on this developing story.

© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.

Skip to content