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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 29, 2005 Members of the Rogue River Hotshots walk along Old Siskiyou Highway Wednesday outside Ashland en route to fighting a small wildfire. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Burn barrel ignites blaze near Ashland By CHRIS CONRAD Mail Tribune Flaming debris from a burn barrel sparked a four-acre grass fire Wednesday afternoon near Old Siskiyou Highway just south of Ashland. The blaze began along the Steinman Loop on Highway 273, which links Interstate 5 at Callahan’s to Highway 66 south of Ashland, and crawled up a nearby hill. Jackson County Fire District 5 crews got the initial calls of smoke sightings at around 3:30 p.m. A second alarm was sounded because of the number of homes in the area and the steep terrain, said District 5 Fire Chief Dan Marshall. Despite the amount of fuel present and the warm temperatures, the blaze crawled sluggishly up the hill, consuming grass and fallen limbs. "Fortunately, we didn’t have a lot of wind ... if we had, it would’ve been a different story," Marshall said. It took crews a little more than an hour to contain the blaze at around four acres. A helicopter pounded the flames with water scooped from nearby Emigrant Lake. Advertisement Along with District 5, crews from the Oregon Department of Forestry, the U.S. Forest Service and Ashland Fire and Rescue conducted the ground attack. Marshall said some homes along Conifer Way were threatened initially. Some residences on the road were defended by fire engines parked in their yards. A gathering of local homeowners cheered when they saw a column of Rogue River Hotshots marching up the hill toward the fire. They described how they weathered a few tense moments early on, when the air around their homes suddenly became enveloped with thick, brown smoke. Mary Taylor, whose home sits a half-mile from the blaze, began calling her neighbors after smoke invaded her house. "I was standing in the kitchen and started smelling smoke," Taylor said. "And I thought, ‘That’s not appropriate.’ " Taylor’s husband, Leroy, a retired firefighter of 30 years, said he was fully prepared to defend his home in case things got too hot. "I brought my gear to see if they needed help," he said, pointing to a bundle of well-used fire gear sitting by the road. Taylor said he has given serious consideration to buying his own personal fire engine — just in case. "This fire shows how quickly fire can escape from a burn barrel," Marshall said. Because fire burning regulations are in still in effect, the person responsible for the burn barrel may face a stiff punishment under Oregon law, Marshall said. The person could be cited and charged for the suppression of the fire, which Marshall said could be between $10,000 and $15,000. As crews gained the upper hand Wednesday afternoon, residents began to trickle into the area to check on their homes. Many showed signs of relief when firefighters told them the blaze had been effectively quashed. Reach reporting intern Chris Conrad at 776-4471, or e-mail Burn barrel ignites blaze near Ashland ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Advertisement s