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Wildfires sparking across the region By Myles Murphy Ashland Daily Tidings The Powell Fire near Williams grew to 400 acres overnight, but crews completed a fire line around its perimeter by 6 a.m. this morning. The blaze, first reported Monday afternoon, spread quickly and caused the evacuation of 30 homes near Williams. Spurred by high temperatures, low humidity and gusty winds, the fire sent smoke wafting through the Rogue Valley late Monday. After the sun set and the night brought cooler conditions, crews were able to gain the upper hand, according to Oregon Department of Forestry Dispatch Supervisor Terry Frazier. "Humidity went up and the fire calmed down a little," Frazier said. Weather conditions are expected to tip more in favor of firefighters today. "It's supposed to be a little cooler and higher humidity today," Frazier said. The blaze burned within 100 yards of some homes, but most residents were allowed to return by Tuesday morning, officials said. The fire was not caused by lightning, and officials were investigating possible causes. About 100 firefighters were on scene. Fire District No. 5 sent a water tender, which is used to replenish the water for fire trucks. Ashland Fire & Rescue sent a wildland grass engine to assist with the Powell Fire. Closer to home, two confirmed fires were sparked by lightning Monday night in the Greensprings region. The Keene Creek Ridge fire - about three miles south of Lincoln and about 15 miles southeast of Ashland - was limited to a single tree and some scorched ground vegetation. That fire was quickly lined by two firefighters overnight. The Parker Mountain Fire near Highway 66 just east of the Klamath County line was caused by the same lightning storm. It was also lined this morning. "It's putting up a little smoke today," Frazier said. Jackson County had some 30 lightning strikes during the small summer storm. In Central Oregon near Sisters, a fire jumped fire lines on its east side overnight and was fueled by high winds as it moved toward stands of highly flammable dead timber, fire officials said today. The Link Fire had burned more than 830 acres and was 50 percent contained, said David Widmark, spokesman for the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. Officials warned campers at Camp Tamarack they may have to evacuate if conditions worsen. No other evacuations were planned, Widmark said. Elsewhere in Oregon, fire officials were keeping a close eye on thunderstorms and lightning moving across southern part of the state and east of the Cascades. Lightning struck more than 2,300 times south and east of the Link Fire, in Central Oregon, overnight. The Associated Press contributed to this report. 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 -