Vegetation fire in Phoenix grows to 1 1/2 acres before contained

PHOENIX, Ore.- A vegetation fire near Hartley Road in Phoenix grew to an acre and a half before it was contained around midnight on Wednesday.

According to Jackson County Fire District 5 Battalion Chief Dave Meads, calls for a grass fire came in around 9:30 p.m.

It took crews longer than normal to contain this fire due to uneven terrain making access difficult.

With the high visibility of the fire and it being so close to people with recent memories of the deadly Almeda fire that burned through Phoenix, Battalion Chief Meads says he understands how some residents could have been worried, but he says there was no cause for concern that the fire was going to grow.

“We do understand the public’s concerns. You could see it from all over the area and… vegetation fires and fires in general do look a lot larger in the dark. It was just a- what we would call a routine vegetation fire,” Battalion Chief Meads said.

Battalion Chief Meads says there were no injuries or fatalities and there was never a threat to any structures.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.