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Mop-up complete on Pacific Pride fire, but oil cleanup remains By Nick Morgan Updated: Apr 14, 2022 11:48 AM A A 3 View all photos Crews with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality have deployed absorbent booms at Bear Creek in the wake of the oil spill caused by the Tuesday night fire at Carson Pacific Pride in Medford. State and federal wildlife officials are responding to the oil spill’s impacts to fish and wildlife. Medford Emergency Management photo. An oil slick appears on South Central Avenue about 9 a.m. Thursday in the damage zone of the Tuesday night fire at a nearby Carson Pacific Pride. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality are leading cleanup from the oil spill that resulted in the Tuesday night fire. Medford Emergency Management photo. An oil absorbing boom is deployed Thursday along Bear Creek near Beebe Road in response to the oil spill caused by the Tuesday night Carson Pacific Pride fire. State and federal wildlife officials are responding to the oil spill’s impacts to fish and wildlife that including oiled waterfowl. Medford Emergency Management photo. A firefight that began Tuesday night involving a Medford petroleum business ended Thursday morning, but city officials say the scene of the fire remains unsafe for motorists and pedestrians. As of Thursday morning, the Medford Fire Department completed mop-up work of the fire at the Carson Pacific Pride commercial fueling station, according to an updated press release from Medford Emergency Management. All fire equipment and personnel have demobilized, but a massive hazardous materials and environmental cleanup remains. Prior to the Tuesday night fire, according to an earlier news report , 936 S. Central Ave. housed tens of thousands of gallons of petroleum products that included gasoline, diesel and kerosene and dozens of barrels of motor oil. The Environmental protection Agency, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and contractor NEXGEN Logistics are establishing a unified command “to coordinate the response to public health and environmental impacts of the fire and oil spill,” according to the Thursday release. Crews have deployed oil absorbing booms at the former site of the commercial fuel business and at Bear Creek, while state and federal wildlife officials respond to the oil spill’s impacts to fish and wildlife. Oiled waterfowl were observed in Bear Creek, according to the city. The EPA is setting up community air monitors in the area, and city officials say the scene “remains dangerous and is off-limits to the public.” As of midday Thursday, South Central Avenue remains closed between East 13th St. and East Barnett Road. North Riverside Avenue is fully reopened as of Thursday, but the city asks drivers to use extreme caution “as there are multiple crews on site continuing the investigation and clean-up.”