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50 fires reported from overnight lightning strikes By Mail Tribune staff Updated: Aug 18, 2022 08:59 AM A A Firefighters were actively engaged Thursday morning on five fires in the Medford area and 34 fires outside Grants Pass The Granite Hill Fire, located north of Grants Pass and east of Colonial Valley, was estimated at 8 a.m. Thursday to be five acres. [ODF photo] Firefighters from the Oregon Department of Forestry were attacking five wildfires in the Medford District and 34 fires in the Grants Pass District Thursday morning following a lightning storm overnight that sparked reports in southwest Oregon of 50 fires in a 13-hour period. Planes were expected to be in the air at 8 a.m. today to monitor the known fires, provide information from the air and scout out any new reports of fire. “In a 13-hour period, we have responded to approximately 50 reports of fire across both counties,” ODF said in a news advisory early Thursday. “We’re actively engaged on five fires on the Medford Unit that make up the Westside Complex, and 34 fires on the Grants Pass unit that make up the Lightning Gulch Complex.” The largest fire is the Tallowbox Fire, located on Tallowbox Mountain south of Applegate, where two fires merged to create a fire estimated to be 30 acres. In Josephine County, the Granite Hill Fire, located north of Grants Pass and east of Colonial Valley, was estimated at 8 a.m. to be five acres. Firefighters were on scene and actively engaged on the Granite Hill Fire, and the majority of the other fires were small and in mop-up phases, ODF reported. On Thursday, all 150-plus district firefighters, dispatchers and detection specialists were on duty, and additional contract resources have been brought on, including 10 20-person crews, 10 engines, two water tenders and four sets of tree fallers, ODF said. “We’ve also ordered an additional three type 1 and three type 2 helicopters to bolster our air resources,” the news advisory said. “ODF leadership is dividing the incidents by area to ensure experienced personnel are engaged on the line with firefighters. ... Four supervisors will each take a quarter of the two-county area, with an additional supervisor available to handle initial attack on new fire starts within the district,” ODF said. The agency was working to create a list of fire names, locations, sizes and personnel, but there is a lot of information to sort through to ensure accurate information, ODF said. In the meantime, weather conditions are not favorable, with a red flag warning in effect and a threat of thunderstorms expected throughout the day. There will likely be additional holdover fires and new starts that ignite Thursday, said ODF, which asked that people call 911 and report any smoke they see. As of Thursday morning no homes were threatened, and no evacuation orders were in place, but people were advised to be aware of any potential changes and follow Jackson County Emergency Management, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office social media pages for any evacuation information.