Medford, Oregon- Smoke from the Moon Complex Fire in Curry County pushed particulate levels into the unhealthy range across much of Jackson County on Sunday, with monitors showing air quality varying widely from city to city depending on local winds and terrain.
The Moon Complex Fire— a cluster of lightning-sparked fires north of Gold Beach that has merged into a larger blaze — was reported at roughly 17,000 acres with limited containment as crews mobilized to protect communities along the Rogue River. The rapid growth has sent heavy smoke into the Rogue Valley and Interstate-5 corridor.
Jackson County has 11 incorporated cities. Here is a snapshot of current air quality readings across those communities as conditions changed Sunday (readings and classifications are from local monitoring services and online AQI aggregators and reflect near-real-time conditions that can shift rapidly):
Ashland — Air quality in the “Unhealthy” range according to local AQI aggregators.
Butte Falls — Reporting generally Moderate / Fair conditions on regional reporting sites.
Central Point — Showing Unhealthy readings on regional monitors.
Eagle Point — Reports indicated Unhealthy for sensitive groups (AQI in the upper-100s on some monitors).
Gold Hill — Readings around the Moderate/Poor range on local monitoring pages.
Jacksonville — One station showed Very Unhealthy conditions during the morning hours.
Medford — Monitors in the Medford area were reporting Unhealthy air in mid-day snapshots.
Phoenix — Showing Unhealthy readings on regional AQI services.
Rogue River — Reported in the Unhealthy range on several local sources.
Shady Cove — Several monitors indicated Moderate to Good air locally, though conditions can change quickly.
Talent — Historical and some current readings reported the area experiencing Unhealthy levels during spikes; watch for local monitor updates.
Health officials warn residents to take precautions as smoke moves through the region, urging people — especially those with respiratory or cardiac conditions, older adults and children — to limit outdoor activity, keep windows closed and use air filtration if available. The county’s advisory also noted that smoke levels are expected to fluctuate with wind shifts and fire behavior.
Officials said the Moon Complex’s growth over the weekend prompted additional firefighting resources, including state task forces, and evacuation orders for some rural Curry County communities nearest the flames. Those developments, along with wind and valley trapping overnight, have been the main driver of the smoky conditions in the Rogue Valley and Jackson County.
Public health guidance for smoky conditions includes staying indoors with filtered air when possible, avoiding vigorous outdoor exercise, using N95 masks if you must be outside in heavy smoke, and checking up-to-date local AQI maps and official county notices before travel. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and local health departments maintain updated advisories and monitor data as conditions evolve.
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