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55 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, September 10, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend August 6, 2004 Wildfire tankers save day By JACK MORAN Mail Tribune A pair of air tankers now stationed at the Medford airport helped firefighters quickly corral a wind-driven blaze that threatened several Cave Junction homes on Wednesday. The DC-6 and DC-7 tankers flew out of the Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport on Wednesday afternoon and dumped thousands of gallons of fire retardant onto the 200-acre fire, Oregon Department of Forestry spokesman Dennis Turco said. "It didn’t take long for that fire to get into populated areas and threaten a lot of people," Turco said. "Those air tankers played a tremendous role in stopping the fire." Officials evacuated several residences on the west end of Cave Junction on Wednesday afternoon, when wind pushed flames toward the city. No homes were destroyed, and residents were allowed to return home within hours. Fire crews spent much of Thursday extinguishing several hot spots that flared up within the fire’s perimeter. Turco said firefighters on Wednesday also had to deal with a one-acre blaze that sparked about one mile north of the main fire. Advertisement While Illinois Valley fire officials said a downed power line caused the main fire, Turco said ODF investigators have not yet released an official cause. ODF crews used four helicopters to fight the fire, in addition to the two air tankers. The DC-7 tanker arrived in Medford last week, with the DC-6 landing at the airport Tuesday. Turco said the DC-7 will soon head to a federal tanker base in Redmond. At that time, a second DC-6 will be assigned to the Medford airport. The two tankers will remain in Medford until late September or early October, but could be called to work wildfires anywhere within Oregon, Turco said. Besides the Medford-based tankers, ODF has a pair of airplanes stationed in Redmond. The tankers are converted passenger planes. Wednesday’s fire burned near the site of 2002’s Biscuit fire, a lightning-caused blaze that scorched 500,000 acres of wildland and threatened much of the Illinois Valley. Three other fires were sparked by lightning late Wednesday night in the southeast corner of Jackson County, Turco said. The largest burned about 3 acres in the Grizzly Mountain area, about 16 miles east of the Interstate 5 Siskiyou Summit. The others burned less than an acre of land. Reach reporter Jack Moran at 776-4459, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities