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ASHLAND Grass fire torches 100 acres outside Ashland Windy burn day leads to numerous fires getting out of control Comment By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 31, 2015 at 2:10 PM Updated Oct 31, 2015 at 8:26 PM By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 31, 2015 at 2:10 PM Updated Oct 31, 2015 at 8:26 PM » Social News Warm winds and dry vegetation caused a residential burn pile to grow into a grass fire that burned 100 acres off Highway 66 southeast of Ashland on Saturday afternoon but damaged no structures. The three-alarm fire grew from half an acre with 10-foot-high flames at about 1:30 p.m., when it was first reported, to over 100 acres by 4:45 p.m., according to fire officials. No structures were threatened in the fire, but firefighters monitored eight homes that were nearby. At about 3:30 p.m., Fire District 5 Chief Darin Wellburn saw winds shift and said the ground was treacherous near the top of the hill. "That's some steep rugged ground out there," Wellburn said. The fire originated at 4675 Highway 66, between Reiten Drive and Corp Branch Road, Ashland Fire & Rescue Battalion Chief Dana Sallee said. Multiple agencies responded to help Ashland, including Jackson County Fire District 5, Medford Fire-Rescue, Jackson County Fire District 3 and Oregon Department of Forestry. ODF provided a bulldozer, as did Cal Fire. "There's 15 units on scene of some type plus ODF," Sallee said Saturday afternoon, tallying a total of 19 engines and other equipment. Two helicopters also dropped water on the fire. Sallee said with the close of fire season last week, the helicopters needed to cover hard-to-reach portions of the fire at the top of the hill weren't under contract but, luckily, were still in the area. "The helicopters happened to not be busy," Sallee said. Sallee said he believed Cal Fire's assistance was the first time Ashland had to draw from the Jackson Plan mutual-aid agreement between the two states. "This is the first time in 25 years that a Cal Fire anything has shown up here," Sallee said. Numerous grass fires were reported throughout Jackson County throughout the day and evening, many of them originating from burn piles. Although Saturday was an authorized burn day, dry vegetation and winds made burn piles risky. "People who are next to dry vegetation should consider not burning until we have some soaking rain," Wellburn said. Jackson County on Wednesday extended the window for open burning to Nov. 15 for rural residents because of the late end to the fire season. Ashland and Fire District 5 crews were released by 7 p.m. Saturday, leaving containment of the fire to Oregon Department of Forestry. —Reach reporter Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 31, 2015 at 2:10 PM Updated Oct 31, 2015 at 8:26 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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