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Numerous lightning fires reported in Jackson County By Dave Smigelski Updated: Aug 02, 2022 03:31 PM A A The Oregon Department of Forestry Southwest District and the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest reported Tuesday they were responding to numerous lightning fires across Jackson County “following a very active thunderstorm overnight.” “We’re currently responding to eight reports of light smoke in northeastern Jackson County that make up the Midnight Complex, the majority located near Butte Falls,” ODF posted on its Facebook page. The largest of the fires was a 10th of an acre, and fire activity was considered limited. The majority of the reports involved single snags that were struck by lightning and were smoking. “We’re calling in tree fallers ... to come assist on these incidents,” ODF reported. “At this time, these fires are not spreading, and we have multiple engines, as well as our Helitack crew and type 3 helicopter actively working on these reports of fire and smoke. “We’re responding alongside U.S. Forest Service — Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest — and BLM resources. We’ll also continue flying over these affected areas through recon flights, and our Southwest Oregon Detection Center is fully staffed and searching for smoke,” ODF said. In the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, a “significant number of lightning strikes” were reported overnight, with rainfall varying from .01 inches to .30 inches, primarily on the eastern side of the forest. The forest had reports of seven new lightning fires Tuesday, the agency reported Tuesday afternoon. Six fires were staffed and were a 10th of an acre or less. Firefighters were reportedly walking into a fire northwest of Needle Rock and responding to a fire near Fish Lake; three additional smokes were reported in the Sky Lakes Wilderness Area. Rappellers and smokejumpers had been ordered for those fires, the Forest Service reported. Firefighters and equipment were being shifted from other parts of the forest to stage on the High Cascades Ranger District to provide quicker response to fires reported in this area. The weather forecast called for the possibility of lightning through Tuesday night.