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Fire crews fight to keep up with blazes By SARAH LEMON Fire crews have been scrambling since Friday night to keep a handle on 30 small lightning-ignited fires in Jackson and Josephine counties. Most of the fires were less than an acre in size Saturday and were burning in remote areas, posing no immediate threat to homes, said Dennis Turco, Oregon Department of Forestry fire prevention specialist. Sixteen fires had been contained, mopped up or put out Saturday. The largest fire, Alco Rock, burned five acres northwest of Lost Creek Lake before firefighters contained it around 12:45 p.m. Crews were moving from fire to fire as each one was controlled. A reconnaissance plane was locating and confirming fire locations and directing ground crews. Fires were scattered across Jackson County from the Applegate area north along the west side of the Cascade Mountains, Turco said. Mountaintop lookouts were closely monitoring new lightning downstrikes and reporting new columns of smoke. "We're able to hold our own at this point," Turco said. If many more fires were reported, however, ODF may have had to bring in engines from other districts, he said. Six contract engines, two contract ground crews, two helicopters and a retardant-hauling air tanker were helping ODF firefighters Saturday. The weekend's fire activity was typical of lightning storms, Turco said. But with storms still active and crews chasing downstrikes Saturday, preventing human-caused fires is especially important, he said. ODF is urging everyone to follow fire season regulations designed to restrict activities known to cause fires. Using chain saws, mowing dry grass, and welding, cutting or grinding metal are particularly dangerous during fire season and are restricted, Turco said. Campfires are only allowed in designated campgrounds with fire rings. In Douglas County, a wildfire that ignited at 2 p.m. Saturday burned between 80 and 100 acres near Azalea Glen Road off Interstate 5. The cause of the fire was under investigation, said a Douglas Fire Protection Agency spokeswoman. ODF had no estimated containment time Saturday, and crews were scheduled to work through the night, she said. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.