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CLEAR Temp: 65 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Friday, July 4, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend July 2, 2003 A wildfire near North River Road, south of Gold Hill, consumed about 20 acres before being contained late Tuesday afternoon. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Blazes heat up across valley By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune Four separate roadside fires near Gold Hill triggered two alarms Tuesday evening and sent firefighters from multiple departments to work battling the blazes. The first plumes of smoke were spotted at about 4:45 p.m. in the 3000 block of Upper River Road. Crews from Jackson County Fire District No. 3, Rogue River Rural Fire Department and the Oregon Department of Forestry rushed into the hills. They found two fires burning about a quarter of a mile apart on Upper River Road, District No. 3 Deputy Fire Marshal Don Hickman said. The fires burned uphill slowly through grass and brush under large trees. A helicopter was called for, but firefighters determined it was unnecessary before it arrived, forestry department officials said. Advertisement The South Upper River Road fire was fairly small and two engines with their crews knocked it out by 5:30 p.m., Hickman said. The North Upper River Road fire crept uphill. By 6:30, Hickman estimated it had burned about 20 acres. Eight fire engines worked the blaze as a dozer cut firelines around its flanks. Three homes located one ridge over from the hill the blaze was climbing weren’t threatened by the fire, Hickman said. Firefighters checked those homes and used one driveway as a vantage point from which to overlook the smoldering slopes adjacent. At about 5:10 p.m., a fire was reported in the 7500 block of High Banks Road. Three engines responded to that fire and contained it while small, Hickman said. At 5:15 p.m., a fire near the intersection of Highway 234 and John Day Drive was reported. Hickman said the district has sponsored a brush-clearing project in that area that would help limit fuel for the fire. Firefighters pinpointed the start of all the fires at the side of the road. The Oregon State Police will investigate to determine the causes, Hickman said. Two fires also burned in Josephine County Tuesday afternoon. The forestry department, U.S. Forest Service and Illinois Valley Fire District extinguished a several-acre fire behind the resort at Lake Selmac with the help of a helicopter, said Illinois Valley’s division chief Joe Feldhaus. A man cutting hay sparked that fire, Feldhaus said. Dennis Turco, a fire prevention specialist with the Department of Forestry, said equipment also sparked another small fire in Josephine County. Together the two fires burned about four acres. Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4459, or e-mail [email protected] . Central Point man escapes house fire; blaze caused heavy damage A Central Point man and his cat and dog escaped from a house fire that heavily damaged their home in the 6600 block of Oakhurst Street late Monday night. Homeowner Kevin Denney heard a smoke alarm warning him of the fire and called 911 at 11:45 p.m. Monday, Jackson County Fire District No. 3 Deputy Fire Marshal Don Hickman said. After hearing the warning, Denney saw the fire in an area of the house that was being remodeled, gathered his pets and got out safely. A dozen firefighters and two fire engines quickly extinguished the flames. The blaze was limited to the home’s living room, although the rest of the house received heavy smoke damage, Hickman said. Tuesday morning, Hickman started an investigation into the fire’s cause. He pinpointed a halogen motion-detector light with faulty wiring as the most likely source. He estimated the fire caused $60,000 worth of structural damage to the house and $30,000 worth of damage to the possessions inside. Firefighters offered Denney Red Cross assistance, but he plans to stay with relatives in the area, Hickman said. Cave Junction fire contained Crews have contained a 120-acre wildfire off Daisy Hill Road near Cave Junction. The fire, sparked Sunday afternoon, destroyed a home, a recreational vehicle used as a residence, two outbuildings and an unoccupied RV as it burned through grass and timber, Oregon Department of Forestry fire prevention specialist Dennis Turco said. Crews contained the fire at 7 p.m. Monday. By Tuesday afternoon, two fire engines from the forestry department and two engines, a water tender and two 20-person crews hunted down the last remaining hot spots. They expected to have the fire controlled by 7 p.m. The buildings and RVs that burned were located along Daisy Hill Road, Illinois Valley Fire District officials said. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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