Medford, Oregon- After 135 days, the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Southwest Oregon District announced that fire season will officially end in Jackson and Josephine counties at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 14.
Multiple days of widespread rain and a shift toward consistent fall weather prompted the district to lift all fire season regulations and Industrial Fire Precaution Levels (IFPL) this week. The declaration affects roughly 1.8 million acres of ODF-protected land across the two counties. However, officials said that industrial slash burning remains prohibited.
Since fire season began on June 1, ODF firefighters responded to 281 fires that burned a total of 3,558 acres. The season’s first large blaze was the Upper Applegate Fire on June 18, which occurred near the site of a nearly identical fire in 2024. Despite similar conditions, ODF credited earlier staffing and quicker response times for the smaller size and faster containment of this year’s incident.
“While there are slight nuances to the data, these events are similar in nature across the board,” the agency stated. “Despite these similarities, fire managers attribute bringing ODF initial attack firefighters on earlier to the faster response, quicker containment and smaller acres achieved on this year’s incident.”
Thunderstorms throughout the summer created major challenges, including a July 7 storm that ignited nearly 40 fires across ODF-protected land. The Grizzly and Eastside Lightning Complexes alone burned about 1,060 acres, with the Neil Creek Road Fire near Interstate 5 south of Ashland reaching 257 acres and the Deming Gulch Fire in the Applegate area reaching 250 acres.
ODF’s Incident Management Team 3 was deployed to help manage the surge in activity, allowing local crews to return to readiness for new ignitions that followed additional thunderstorms. Officials said all 39 fires sparked by that storm were fully extinguished within a month.
In early September, another round of thunderstorms ignited a dozen fires in the Lower Rogue River Corridor, a region known for its difficult terrain and limited access. While most of those fires were contained quickly, the Kelsey Peak Fire grew to more than 1,000 acres due to steep slopes, dry fuels, and strong winds. ODF Incident Management Team 1 assumed command of that fire, which became the largest of the season on the district.
During that same period, ODF also assisted on the Moon Complex, providing structure protection and contingency support to federal partners, including the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.
With cooler, wetter weather arriving in early October, fire danger levels were reduced and preparations began for the season’s conclusion.
ODF’s annual goal is to contain 98% of fires at 10 acres or less, and this season, 258 fires met that benchmark — a 92% success rate. The agency credited “a fast and aggressive response to fires and collaboration with our local and federal partners” for the district’s success.
The end of fire season lifts restrictions on equipment use and debris burning for both the public and industrial operations, though industrial slash burning remains banned. Residents are urged to check with their local fire departments for any permit requirements before burning and to confirm it is a designated burn day.
Jackson County Burn Line: (541) 776-7007 Josephine County Burn Line: (541) 476-9663
“Even though the fire season is officially over, please continue to practice fire prevention when burning debris by ensuring a burn pile is never left unattended and using caution when using machinery that could cause a spark,” ODF officials said. “While the heightened risk of fires has passed with the ending of the declared fire season, fires can still start and spread in fall and winter conditions.”
Fire prevention tips and information are available on the ODF Southwest Oregon District website at www.swofire.com.
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