Document text
Bear Creek blaze scorches back yards By SARAH LEMON A wildfire that pushed its way into the back yards of several Central Point homes Thursday generated the county's biggest response within city limits this fire season, officials said. The fire burned 25 acres of grass and brush on both sides of Bear Creek behind the Family Fun Center Thursday. Thirty engines battled the blaze in the brush- and bramble-filled creek bottom. A bulldozer worked to create a fire line while a helicopter watered the flames. Two Mercy Flights units were on hand for medical assistance, and additional engines stood watch over threatened homes. Fire units came from Jackson County Fire District 3, Medford Fire Department, Oregon Department of Forestry and Ashland Fire and Rescue. A one-engine Josephine County task force also assisted. Children playing with a lighter near a transient camp behind the Family Fun Center started the blaze, said Dennis Turco, ODF fire prevention specialist. Fire District 3 has responded to a number of fires over the last couple of years in this "trouble area," said Deputy Fire Marshal Don Hickman. Family Fun Center employees reported the fire at 4:52 p.m. Firefighters received another call shortly after from Gebhard Road residents where the fire was jumping back and forth across the creek, resident James Higginbotham said. He said his granddaughter went outside to tend to their dogs when she saw the rapidly approaching flames around 5 p.m. "When that grandkid yelled 'fire,' I just knew it was in my backyard going for the house," Higginbotham said. Higginbotham, his granddaughter and a family friend grabbed a garden hose to douse the flames that burned to within approximately 20 feet of a shed until the fire department showed up. "This is the kind of fire I think we can expect from the rest of the summer," said Chief Randy Iverson of Jackson County Fire District 3. Thursday's extreme heat of 105 degrees caused the fire to burn particularly hot, he added. Thick blackberry patches also hindered firefighters from tackling some large flare-ups, inside the fire line, Iverson said. By splitting off the fire, crews were able to combat flames from both sides, Hickman said. Divvying up engines and manpower on both sides of a blaze allows crews to see where the fire is moving and how to keep it from spreading, he explained. Residents of the 1800 block of East Pine Street started wetting vegetation around their homes as they saw approaching flames pushed by southerly winds. Police blocked East Pine traffic at Hamrick and Peninger Roads while engines on the bridge over Bear Creek tried to keep the flames from crossing the road. Firefighters and residents with garden hoses scrambled to extinguish spot fires in back yards caused by flying embers. One East Pine residence was scorched from burning grass next to the house, fire officials said. No other structures were damaged despite the fire's proximity to several homes. Crews contained the fire around 7 p.m., but it wasn't declared controlled Thursday night because crews still had to cool down a lot of "hot spots," said Turco. A Fire District 3 firefighter suffered an ankle injury, and an ODF firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion, Turco said. Crews were expected to work through the night controlling and mopping up. Elsewhere in the valley, ODF firefighters were fighting a half-acre lightning-ignited forest fire on Wagner Butte near the Applegate. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.