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Firefighters battled three grass fires near Ashland over weekend By Morgan Rothborne Updated: Oct 17, 2022 02:07 PM A A Firefighters battled three grass fires over the weekend near Ashland, but all were stopped at three acres or less. Ashland’s Nixle alert system notified residents of a grass fire just after 1 p.m., Sunday, at East Main Street and Tolman Creek Road. No evacuation was ordered and the fire was under control in less than half an hour, according to the alert. The Oregon Department of Forestry responded to two fires in the Ashland area — one just off southbound I-5 Sunday and one off Staples Lane Saturday between Ashland and Talent. Both of the grass fires were human caused, but the exact cause is still under investigation, said Natalie Weber, public information officer for the Oregon Department of Forestry Southwest District. “These incidents are a prime example of our current fire danger in the Rogue Valley, as long as we have the warm, windy conditions and dry fuels, fires are still ready to start and spread easily,” Weber said. The fire off I-5, south of milepost 15, was caught and corralled at about a half-acre, while the fire near the 300 block of Staples Lane reach 2.5 acres before it was knocked down, Weber said. ODF Southwest Oregon also responded to a grass fire near Butte Falls Highway Saturday, which reached three-quarters of an acre, she said. The fire danger level remains moderate on ODF-protected lands in Jackson and Josephine counties. Reach Mail Tribune reporter Morgan Rothborne at [email protected] or 541-776-4487. Follow her on Twitter @MRothborne.