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Fire District 3 trains with burns in Denman Wildlife Area Jackson County Fire District 3 firefighters train at the Denman Wildlife Area Tuesday. [Mail Tribune / Jamie Lusch] Tuesday Jun 20, 2017 at 4:44 PM Jun 20, 2017 at 4:56 PM Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune @RyanPfeil On the eve of the fire danger level jumping to "moderate" in southwest Oregon, firefighters from Jackson County Fire District 3 headed to the Denman Wildlife Area to get some hands-on training for when the real thing rears its head. And a bonus: It will cut down on the risk of responding to the real thing. The three-day training operation, which concludes Wednesday, focused on burning out a 50-acre parcel of grass and brush at the wildlife management area west of White City. "As we know, wildfire season is strong in southwest Oregon," said Fire District 3 public information officer Ashley Blakely. "We've already seen a little bit of that this year. But it's also an opportunity for our fire crews to get signed off to use drip torches, do burnout operations and then, ultimately, it's going to be better for the area, being able to get rid of some of the unmanaged, drier fuels." The operation began with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife mowing a swath around the project area. On Tuesday, a group of firefighters and apparatus trundled around the band, setting the mowed perimeter ablaze with drip torches and burning it down to black before other crew members doused it. The wildfire danger jumps to moderate at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, affecting 1.8 million acres of private and public lands in Jackson and Josephine counties, according to Melissa Cano, Oregon Department of Forestry public information officer. That means no debris burning, no fireworks on public forestlands, and restrictions on campfires. Mowing, chainsaw use and cutting or grinding metal will not be allowed between 1 and 8 p.m. Motorized vehicles are allowed only on improved roads, and a shovel, gallon of water and fire extinguisher are required while traveling on ODF lands. Fire District 3 partnered with ODF and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality for smoke management plans and with ODFW so the operation would not affect area wildlife, Blakely said. "The biggest thing that (the public) was really worried about besides smoke impact was wildlife," Blakely said. ODF crews will conduct another burn from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday on 30 acres of Oregon Department of Transportation land off the intersection of Truax and Newland roads in Central Point. Like the District 3 operation, ODF'S planned burn is intended to reduce wildfire risk and offer hands-on training for fire crews. "That's a really key component for us this year," Cano said. — Reach reporter Ryan Pfeil at 541-776-4468 or [email protected]. Follow him at www.twitter.com/ryanpfeil.