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http://www.omniture.com --> Ashland, Oregon HOME Valley & State Sports Opinion/Editorial Classifieds Business Columnists Obituaries Weather Archive Revels Etcetera Backpage O-Zone Real Estate Guide Menu Guide Shakespeare Subscribe Contact Us Rate Card Place an Ad August 8, 2006 Lightning sparks more than 70 fires Firefighters are on alert today new sparks after the thunderstorms which rolled through the Valley Sunday and Monday nights. Ashland Fire and Rescue reported 29 lightning strikes in the Ashland Watershed Monday night. The storm passed through mainly to the south and east of Ashland. No visible smoke had been seen at press time. Brian Ballou, spokesman for the Oregon Department of Forestry's Southwest Oregon District, said some areas saw heavy rain last night, but lightning strikes may have started blazes that will not be visible until later today. "We got some reports around dusk when the storm started hitting," Ballou said. "It's going to keep going on today." Lightning storms peppered Jackson County and a small portion of Josephine County Sunday evening, sparking more than 70 wildfires. A second of thunderstorms moved through the region as darkness fell Monday, and firefighters were responding to reports of lightning-kindled fires in several areas, including Sardine Creek, near Gold Hill and Anderson Butte, south of Jacksonville. Heavy showers fell in some areas, but the rain was extremely spotty. All the fires remained small and most were in remote areas. The fires were scattered from the California-Oregon border to Prospect, and west into the Applegate drainage. Spotter planes and fire lookouts reported 47 in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest by mid-afternoon Monday. At least another two dozen lightning-caused fires were burning on woodlands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry. The ODF protects the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, state, county and private parcels from wildfires. The National Weather Service reported about 350 lightning strikes in the county Sunday night. "We're picking up reports of 'smokes' continuously," Ballou said. "And we'll probably be getting them the rest of the week." He was referring to "sleeper" fires that smolder for a while before exploding into flames. However, most of the fires were tiny, enabling firefighters who worked through Sunday night to put them out, he said. The lion's share of those fires on ODF-protected land were a tenth of an acre or less, he said. By late Monday afternoon, the largest was a 15-acre fire on Vestal Butte just southeast of Shady Cove. A Blackhawk helicopter from the Oregon Army National Guard dropped water on it and two air tankers dumped loads of fire retardant. Three 20-person crews and two bulldozers also were en route, Ballou reported. The 10-acre Humbug fire burning about 212 miles northeast of the community of Applegate was contained by a fire line late Monday afternoon and was late in the mop-up stage this morning. A bulldozer had begun building the line Monday morning, aided by two "heavy" helicopters capable of carrying large buckets of water. About 80 firefighters were assigned to that blaze, which was in an area of rural homes. Other fires of concern include a 2-acre blaze in the Elk Creek drainage and a half-acre fire in the Galls Creek area south of Gold Hill. Firefighters and equipment were deployed to both fires, Ballou said. Most of the fires on the Rogue River-Siskiyou forest were on the Prospect and Butte Falls ranger districts where 38 fires were reported, said forest spokesman Paul Galloway. Another half-dozen fires were burning in the Ashland and Applegate ranger districts, largely in the Dutchman Peak area. "They're all relatively small right now," Galloway said Monday morning. "And we've had some rain in the area but it hasn't been universal. We'll be looking for additional 'smokes.' More fires could pop up." Firefighters rappelled from helicopters while smoke jumpers deployed from fixed-wing aircraft to the remote fires, Galloway said. Ground-pounding firefighters have been sent to fires located closer to roads, he added. "Not all the fires have been staffed," he said, referring to the "triage" approach firefighting agencies take on when multiple wildfires pop up. "These are all pretty much back-country fires and they are relatively small at this point," he said. There is the chance of more fires sparked by local lightning, which was forecast throughout midnight Monday. With the weather predicted to be clear and sunny today, sleepers will be a major concern, Ballou said. "At least we won't have any more lightning for awhile, but with a clear, sunny day we could have a lot of sleeper fires popping up," he said. Both the ODF and U.S. Forest Service were relying on fire lookouts on mountaintops and aircraft to keep an eye out for telltale wisps of smoke caused by lightning strikes. Alan Panebaker and Paul Fattig contributed to this story. Leave a Comment: Advertisement: Advertisement: Paid Advertising Inkjet Printers Student Loans Water Filter Helzberg Diamonds Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Copyright © 2006 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers. All Rights Reserved.