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Lithia Park-area home damaged by fire staff reports Investigators are still looking into the cause of a fire which burned an Ashland home Friday. At about 4:45 p.m., Ashland firefighters rushed to the first block of Hillcrest Street east of Lithia Park to battle their second fire of the day. Ashland Fire Department Capt. Bob Cockell said crews could see the fire as soon as they opened the bay doors at Fire Station No. 1 across from the Ashland Public Library. That triggered a second alarm to bring additional help, he said. Jackson County Fire District No. 5 and Oregon Department of Forestry crews assisted in battling the blaze, according to Cockell. When firefighters reached the fire, it was burning up the back of the house and onto the roof, Cockell said. It also has spread into some brush and was racing uphill to the city's wild parkland. Wildland firefighters quickly got a line of hoses around the blaze and drenched it, Cockell said. Crews also doused the fire on the house and used a giant fan to force air into the house and block the flames' spread, he said. At the back of the house, a study and laundry room were damaged, but the rest of the house was saved and suffered little smoke damage, thanks to the fan, Cockell said. Residents were at home when the fire broke out and one person, not identified by fire officials, suffered minor burns on his hands and was treated at the scene. Cockell said the fire's cause is under investigation, but the homeowner admitted burning some paper in the back yard earlier in the afternoon. Cockell cautioned people to be careful with fire as they go about their daily activities in the summer's hot and dry conditions. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -