Mail Tribune News - Lightning sparks forest fires

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Lightning sparks forest fires Lightning sparked at least three fires in the Rogue Valley on Monday night and kept fire crews hopping to investigate possible smoke sightings. By 9 p.m. Monday, 32 lightning strikes had been recorded in the Medford-Grants Pass area and 314 had been detected statewide, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry. State crews were fighting two small fires north of Gold Hill, one in the Hillis Peak area and another along Sardine Creek. The U.S. Forest Service was fighting a fire near Woodpecker Springs in the Rogue River National Forest southwest of Ashland, two to three miles north of Dutchman Peak; no details on that fire were available. Thunderstorms moved into the Rogue Valley late Monday afternoon and continued until around 8:45 p.m. Today's forecast from the National Weather Service calls for a chance of more afternoon thunderstorms. Mail Tribune Copyright �  The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA