Neil Creek Fire Grows to 250 Acres as ODF Battles 70+ Wildfires

Medford, Oregon- Firefighters with the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) Southwest Oregon District continue to wage an aggressive battle against dozens of wildfires sparked by Monday night’s thunderstorms across Jackson and Josephine counties. As of Tuesday morning, officials have identified 72 fires on ODF-protected lands in the two counties.

Since the start of the storm, firefighters have worked around the clock to suppress the fires, despite limited resources.

“This morning, Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) Complex Incident Management Team 3 will in-brief at noon to take a portion of the fires off the district’s plate, allowing local firefighters to focus on a smaller number of lingering fires and be ready for any new reports of fire that could come in,” officials said. Team 3 is expected to assume command of assigned incidents at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

The largest of the fires is the Neil Creek Road Fire, burning just south of Ashland and west of Interstate 5 near mile marker 10. Estimated at 250 acres, the fire forced the overnight closure of one southbound lane of I-5 between mileposts 8.5 and 10.5. The closure remains in effect. Jackson County authorities have issued Level 2 “Be Set” evacuation notices for zones JAC-536, JAC-542, JAC-543, JAC-546, JAC-558, and JAC-559. More evacuation information is available at protect.genasys.com.

The second-largest blaze, the Deming Gulch Fire, is burning northeast of Buncom and is currently estimated at 200 acres. Six 20-person crews, a bulldozer, and aircraft are assigned to the fire, which has no evacuations in effect.

“We recognize how these fires are affecting our communities, and that’s why our attack on them has been so aggressive from the start,” said ODF Southwest Oregon District Forester Dan Quinones. “With the amount of lightning and limited rain that came with Monday’s storm, we knew the possibility of a large number of fires across the district was on the table, and we geared up to fight. That is a position that we have not let up on since then. Our communities can be proud of our local firefighters — they answered the call two days ago and have tirelessly continued to since then.”

Other significant fires include:

Heppsie Mountain Fire, south of Highway 140, remains 40 acres and is 30% contained, with 50% of its perimeter lined. Strong winds challenged containment efforts overnight, but crews were able to hold the fire in its current footprint. Resources assigned include one engine, five bulldozers, four tree faller teams, and four 20-person crews, along with air support. Evacuation Level 1 “Be Ready” alerts are in place for zones JAC-325-B and JAC-326.

Poole Hill Fire, south of the Heppsie Mountain Fire, is estimated at 12–15 acres and remains 80% lined. Crews are working to fully close the perimeter despite challenging terrain. Evacuation notices for the Heppsie Mountain Fire apply to this fire as well.

Jim Me Peak Fire, in a remote area south of Applegate, is estimated at 40 acres and has merged with the nearby 4.5-acre Ladybug Gulch Fire. Multiple crews, engines, and bulldozers remain engaged in aggressive suppression efforts.

Palmer Peak Fire, southeast of the Jim Me Peak Fire, is estimated at 90 acres. Engines, a bulldozer, and aircraft continue suppression operations.

A total of 435 personnel are assigned to fires across the district Tuesday, with additional resources being requested. However, statewide and national fire activity is limiting availability.

Despite the challenges, firefighters have fully extinguished 11 fires, including the Pompadour Fire east of Ashland, which reached 38 acres before containment.

High fire danger remains in effect across ODF-protected lands in Jackson and Josephine counties. Authorities are urging the public to follow all current fire restrictions to prevent additional human-caused wildfires. Full details on public restrictions can be found at swofire.com/public-fire-restrictions.

The firefighting response includes collaboration among local, state, and federal agencies, with a shared goal: “to keep all fires as small as possible and extinguish them as fast as we can,” officials said.