No injuries in west Medford fire – Medford News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)

2022-08-25

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No injuries in west Medford fire By Morgan Rothborne Updated: Aug 25, 2022 03:02 PM A A People were still inside the house when firefighters arrived on scene Jamie Lusch / Mail TribuneMedford firefighters mop up at a fire Thursday at Lozier Lane and Prune Street in Medford. Jamie Lusch / Mail TribuneCharles Forsythe, seated, talks to a Mercy Flights professional Thursday after he helped fight a fire that broke out Thursday in west Medford. A house in west Medford narrowly escaped the flames Thursday when quick action from local firefighters and a resident confined the blaze to the garage. Charles Forsythe said he knew there was a fire in the detached garage as soon as he heard fireworks popping. A small number of fireworks left over from New Year’s were stored in the family’s garage and got set off by the fire. “I ran back in the house to get my key, I come back out and — of course, the garage is already unlocked — pushed the door open, had my niece get the hose and started fighting the fire,” Forsythe said. “I thought I had it out until I saw fire there at the bottom. I was there fighting it until people made me leave,” he said. Units from Medford Fire Department, Jackson County Fire District 3, Jacksonville Fire, Medford Police Department, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and Mercy Flights responded at 11:20 a.m. to the blaze, at the corner of Lozier Lane and Prune Street, and found black smoke pouring from the detached garage, said Bryan Baumgartner, Medford fire deputy chief of operations. Most of the family was still inside the house with their three dogs when firefighters arrived. “That was a priority for the crews — to get those people out and secured safely, confirming there were no occupants in the actual detached garage and then to begin initial attack on the fire,” Baumgartner said. The fire was contained to the garage and did not spread to the house. Firefighters were on scene within five minutes, Baumgartner said, and had the fire knocked down in 11 minutes. It took a little longer to put out a smoldering fire in the roof of the garage, he said. The deputy fire marshal was on scene to investigate the fire’s cause. Reach Mail Tribune reporter Morgan Rothborne at [email protected] or 541-776-4487. Follow her on Twitter @MRothborne.