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WILDFIRE ODOT mower believed to have sparked blaze near Hugo New fire is burning in the Kalmiopsis; Galls Creek fires in mop-up phase Comment By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted Jun. 11, 2015 at 11:06 AM Updated Jun 11, 2015 at 5:49 PM By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted Jun. 11, 2015 at 11:06 AM Updated Jun 11, 2015 at 5:49 PM » Social News An Oregon Department of Transportation mower is the likely culprit in an 8-acre fire that roared to life along the edge of Interstate 5 near Hugo Wednesday, ODOT and Oregon Department of Forestry officials confirmed. "It's kind of ironic," said ODOT spokesman Gary Leaming. "The reason we mow the grass out there is to keep the fire danger down." The ODOT employee was trimming dry grass when, officials suspect, one of the mower's blades struck a rock or object hard enough to cause sparks. Area fire agencies responded en masse, including a large attack force of engines from Rural/Metro Fire that were brought on to protect some nearby structures. They were joined by engines from ODF and contracted agencies. "There were quite a few people," ODF spokesman Brian Ballou said. The sheer number of fire vehicles and personnel prompted ODOT to close one lane of southbound I-5, slowing traffic to a crawl. "They did have a lot of fire vehicles along the right shoulder," Ballou said. "Plus it had (spread) over to the median." ODF officials said the fire was under control by about 6 p.m., but crews remained on scene until midnight to make sure no hot spots reignited. "We've still got people out there," Ballou said Thursday. No one was injured. At the same time, federal wildland firefighters began battling a blaze just north of the California border in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness Area, the U.S. Forest Service reported Thursday. The Buckskin fire is estimated at between 50 and 75 acres and is reportedly visible from Cave Junction, according to a U.S. Forest Service news release. The fire is about six miles north of the state line. An air tanker was dropping water on the fire Thursday and smoke-jumpers were reportedly being sent from Redmond. Forest Service spokeswoman Virginia Gibbons said no structures were immediately threatened by the fire, which is assumed to have been caused by recent lightning strikes. "It's in the really early stages — we're just getting started fighting it," she said. Members of the Siskiyou Rappel Crew are on the ground fighting the fire, and two hot-shot crews were being reassigned from other fires, the release said. Near Medford, fire crews reportedly have a handle on the largest portions of the 90-plus acre Galls Creek Complex, a series of lightning-sparked wildfires in southwest Oregon. The 46-acre Rosebud fire in the Soda Mountain Wilderness Area near Jenny Creek, five miles south of Pinehurst, was in mop-up phase Thursday, as was the 9-acre Little Butte Creek fire. A new lightning fire popped up Wednesday evening south of Ruch in the Applegate drainage on Ninemile Peak. ODF crews were able to smother the blaze with water from helicopter drops, stopping it at one-quarter acre. A barrage of 200-plus lightning strikes across Jackson County caused the recent fire activity. "Things are growing unusually large rather quickly for June," Ballou said. "But this is everything we were told it would be. It's what we've been expecting, and here it is." Reach reporter Ryan Pfeil at 541-776-4468 or [email protected] . Follow him at www.twitter.com/ryanpfeil . By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted Jun. 11, 2015 at 11:06 AM Updated Jun 11, 2015 at 5:49 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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