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Lightning sparks new fires in Jackson County The Flounce fire, sparked by lightning near Lost Creek Lake, has already prompted a Level 1 (be ready) evacuation advisory notice. Tuesday Aug 8, 2017 at 9:14 AM Aug 8, 2017 at 9:48 AM By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Lightning struck Jackson County 56 times over the past 24 hours, enough to start several new wildfires as efforts continue to defeat two blazes raging near Crater Lake. The majority of the strikes lanced down in the county's northeastern corner. The largest wildfire, the 200-acre Flounce fire, is burning two miles northeast of Lost Creek Lake, according to Oregon Department of Forestry officials. Jackson County Emergency Management has already issued a Level 1 — be ready — evacuation notice for residents living nearby on Evergreen Drive and Lewis Road in Prospect. "This is a precautionary measure, as we anticipate additional thunderstorms this week," ODF said on its Facebook page. Another fire popped up on Old Emigrant Creek Road near Ashland, growing to 11 acres before crews from ODF, Ashland Fire & Rescue and Jackson County Fire District No. 5 stopped its growth, ODF public information officer Melissa Cano said. Firefighters also tangled with four additional small fires — each ranging from one-tenth of an acre to one-hundredth of an acre in size — that popped up across the county, three in the northeast corner and one east of Ashland. The chance for additional thunderstorms continues today, with a red flag warning in effect from noon until 10 p.m. A fire weather watch is set for noon to 10 p.m. Wednesday because of "gusty thunderstorm winds" that could contribute to fires spreading. The smoke from the Blanket Creek and Spruce Lake fires burning into Crater Lake National Park, along with the Chetco Bar fire burning in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness in Curry County, has caused air quality to dip to "moderate" for much of southwest Oregon, according to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality's Air Quality Index. A change in the winds wouldn't make much of a dent, so an air quality alert is in effect for the region until further notice. "Unfortunately, we're pretty much surrounded by fires at this point, so wind shift may not help us too much," National Weather Service meteorologist Brad Schaaf said. The Blanket Creek fire, a lightning-sparked blaze that started July 25 about nine miles northeast of Prospect, has grown to 4,739 acres. It is considered 37 percent contained. The Spruce Lake fire, burning in the western boundary of Crater Lake National Park since July 29, is 4,681 acres in size and is 19 percent contained. Growth on the Spruce Lake fire has slowed. "It's kind of getting to that area where it's hitting sparser fuels," said fire public information officer Kyle Warden. "That's what (fire crews) were hoping for and anticipating, that it would dwindle down as far as the fuels go.' The recent quick round of lightning has not caused any new fires to ignite in the immediate area of the twin blazes, Warden said. A Level 1 evacuation notice is in place for Crater Lake's Rim Village and the park’s headquarters area, according to fire officials. West Rim Drive remains closed from Rim Village to North Junction, as does the Pacific Crest Trail from the park’s southern boundary to Highway 62, and from the intersection of the Dutton Creek Trail north to the North Entrance Road. The Union Peak, Stuart Falls, Pumice Flat, Boundary Springs, Bald Crater Loop, Bert Creek, Discovery Point and Lightning Springs trails are closed inside the park, as is the Rim Trail from Discovery Point to North Junction. — Reach reporter Ryan Pfeil at 541-776-4468 or [email protected]. Follow him at www.twitter.com/ryanpfeil.