Fire sparked in 5700 block of Sterling Creek Road; horses can be taken to Expo; multiple evacuation notices are in effect
8:04 p.m.: Jackson County Emergency Management has issued direction on donations and power outages due to the Woodrat Fire.
Donations
“At this time, donations of food, clothing, water, or other supplies are not being accepted,” JCEM said in a late Thursday email. “The immediate needs of evacuees are being met through established response partners. Community members wishing to help are asked to wait until an official request is made or consider supporting recognized disaster relief organizations through monetary donations.”
Power outage resources
“Power outages may occur because of wildfire activity,” the email said. “Residents should be prepared for the possibility of extended outages by keeping mobile devices charged, having flashlights and extra batteries available, and maintaining an emergency supply of food, water, and medications.
“If you rely on electricity for life-sustaining medical equipment, contact your medical provider and electric utility to discuss backup power options and emergency planning,” the email stated.
Residents can report outages, check restoration updates and access outage maps through their local electric utility, JCEM officials said.
“Always stay at least 50 feet away from downed power lines and assume they are energized. Report downed power lines or immediate hazards by calling 9-1-1,” the email said.
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7:46 p.m.: The Woodrat Fire is now estimated at 300 acres, according to the Watch Duty app.
Multiple evacuation notices remain in place.
See updates at rv-times.com and on the Oregon Department of Forestry-Southwest District Facebook page.
Three hundred acres is generally the size of 225 football fields with end zones.
7:13 p.m.: An evacuation shelter for people and pets affected by the Woodrat Fire southeast of Ruch is opening at Jacksonville Elementary School, 655 Hueners Lane, according to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
If there are individuals looking to shelter that need extra medical care and/or assistance, call 541-776-7206, a late Thursday post said.
A small domestic animal shelter also is operating at Jacksonville Elementary School, the post said. The Red Cross will set up an area on the property to accommodate pets.
Horse evacuations
Horses under Level 2 evacuation notices may be taken to the Jackson County Expo, officials said in a post Thursday.
For livestock sheltering assistance, call 541‑776‑7206, per Ready Jackson.
“If you are bringing horses to the Jackson County Expo, please follow these directions:
“Enter through Gate J at the Southern Oregon RV Park and follow the road around to the back of the grounds to the Barker Barn. We have horse stalls available.”Please call when you arrive, 541-864-0546 as we will have paperwork for you to complete”
6:37 p.m: The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has upgraded Zone JAC-428A from a LEVEL 2: BE READY alert to a LEVEL 3: GO NOW notice.
JAC-428A is in the area of Sterling Creek Road from the 6100 block south to Buncom/Upper Applegate Road to Little Applegate Road. Sheriff’s deputies are in the area giving door-to-door notifications. Zone JAC-428B remains in evacuation LEVEL 2: BE SET.
Level 3 means residents should leave immediately. All other evacuation zones remain in place.
Current Woodrat Mountain Fire Evacuation Zones:
Level 3: Go Now: JAC-436, JAC-428A
Level 2: Be Set: JAC-428B
Level 1: Be Ready: JAC-421 JAC-422 JAC-423 JAC-427 JAC-429 JAC-434 JAC-437 JAC-438
Do you Know Your Zone? Visit Genasys Protect https://protect.genasys.com/ to find your zone
6:07 p.m.: The Woodrat Fire is listed at 200 acres, per the Oregon Department of Forestry Southwest District.
ODF-SW said in a Thursday night post that “firefighters continue making steady progress across much of the incident, the right flank is halfway lined with dozer line.”
A cause has not been determined.
“Fire activity remains most active at the head of the fire, where crews are responding to multiple spot fires southeast in the direction of Sterling Creek,” the post said.
“Aircraft remain heavily engaged throughout the incident. Two additional large air tankers (LATs), accompanied by a lead plane, are joining the existing aviation response. They will work alongside the air tankers and helicopters already assigned to the fire, utilizing both retardant drops and water bucket drops to support firefighters on the ground.
“Multiple hand crews, dozers, engines, and water tenders continue strengthening control lines and working to check the fire’s spread in challenging terrain,” ODF-SW said.
5:54 p.m.: The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has upgraded Zone JAC-436 from LEVEL 2: BE READY to LEVEL 3: GO NOW for the Buncom area outside Ruch.
The fire, which sparked before 1 p.m. in the 5700 block of Sterling Creek Road, is estimated at 115 acres.
Sheriff’s deputies are in the area giving door-to-door notifications. Level 3 means residents should leave immediately, a post said.
“There is extreme danger in the area,” the sheriff’s office said. “It is unsafe to stay and threatens the safety of you, your loved ones and emergency responders.”
The sheriff’s office has also issued new LEVEL 1: BE READY to evacuate notices for Zones JAC-434 and JAC-437. JAC-434 is south of Little Applegate Road, east of Upper Applegate Road to the Boaz Gulch area.
These are the current evacuation levels as of 6 p.m.:
Level 3 – Go – Evacuation Order
JAC-436
Level 2 – Set – Evacuation Warning
JAC-428
Level 1 – Ready
JAC-421, JAC-422, JAC-423, JAC-427, JAC-429, JAC-434, JAC-437, JAC-438
Do you Know Your Zone? Visit Genasys Protect https://protect.genasys.com/ to find your zone
5:26 p.m.: The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has upgraded Zone JAC-436 from LEVEL 1: BE READY to LEVEL 2: BE SET to evacuate in the area of Buncom outside Ruch, a post Thursday evening said.
Level 2 means there is significant danger in the area. Be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice.
Roadblocks are set up at Buncom and the intersections of Poorman Creek Road and Sterling Creek Road, and Bishop Creek Road and Highway 238, the post said. The sheriff’s office urged people to avoid the area while firefighters work.
All other evacuation zones remain in place, the post said. This includes:
Level 2: Be Set: JAC-428 and JAC-436
Level 1: Be Ready: JAC-421, JAC-422, JAC-423, JAC-427, JAC-429 and JAC-438
For information on firefighting efforts, go to ODF Southwest Oregon District https://www.facebook.com/ODFSouthwest/
For more information on the Evacuation Levels go to: https://wildfire.oregon.gov/Pages/evacuations.aspx
Do you Know Your Zone? Visit Genasys Protect https://protect.genasys.com/ to find your zone
4:45 p.m.: Ordered resources continue arriving to support suppression efforts on the Woodrat Fire burning southeast of Ruch as firefighters build on the progress made throughout the afternoon, the Oregon Department of Forestry Southwest District says.
“Despite hot temperatures, steep terrain, hazardous snags, and dense timber, crews continue making good progress while working aggressively to limit the fire’s growth. The fire is now estimated at 130 to 150 acres,” a late Thursday afternoon post said.
Ground and aviation resources remain actively engaged across the incident, ODF-SW said, with additional resources arriving to support operations through Thursday evening.
The fire was first reported as a 5-acre vegetation blaze shortly before 1 p.m. in the 5700 block of Sterling Creek Road. A cause for the fire has not been announced.
Evacuation levels
The highest evacuation level issued by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office is a LEVEL 2: BE SET evacuation notice for Zone JAC-428 in the area of Woodrat Mountain Road and Sterling Creek Road.
Level 2 means there is significant danger in the area — be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice.
The sheriff’s office has issued LEVEL 1: BE READY notices for zones JAC-422, JAC-423, JAC-429, JAC-436, JAC-438, JAC-241 and JAC-247 in the area of Woodrat Mountain Road and Sterling Creek Road.
Visit Genasys Protect https://protect.genasys.com/ to find your zone.
4:07 p.m.: The Woodrat Fire southeast of Ruch is estimated at 115 acres, and crews are making progress against the blaze, the Oregon Department of Forestry Southwest District says.
“Firefighters continue making good progress despite very hot temperatures and challenging conditions,” a Thursday afternoon post said. “Ground crews and aircraft remain actively engaged in suppression efforts, working together to limit fire growth. Additional resources have been ordered for tonight and tomorrow to ensure firefighters can continue building on today’s progress through the operational period.”
ODF-SW urged people to avoid the area and watch for emergency vehicles responding to the incident.
One hundred acres is generally the size of 75 football fields with end zones.
Horse evacuations
Horses under Level 2 evacuation notices may be taken to the Jackson County Expo, officials said in a post Thursday.
For livestock sheltering assistance, call 541‑776‑7206, per Ready Jackson.
“If you are bringing horses to the Jackson County Expo, please follow these directions:
“Enter through Gate J at the Southern Oregon RV Park and follow the road around to the back of the grounds to the Barker Barn. We have horse stalls available.
“Please call when you arrive, 541-864-0546 as we will have paperwork for you to complete”
3:22 p.m.: The fire is now at between 100 and 120 acres, per Incident Command, according to the WatchDuty app.
2:38 p.m.: A LEVEL 2: BE SET evacuation notice has been issued for Zone JAC-428 in the area of Woodrat Mountain Road and Sterling Creek Road outside Ruch, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office says.
Level 2 means there is significant danger in the area — be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice.
The sheriff’s office says new LEVEL 1: BE READY notices have been issued for zones JAC-422, JAC-423, JAC-429, JAC-436, JAC-438 in the area of Woodrat Mountain Road and Sterling Creek Road.
The LEVEL 1: BE READY to evacuate for Zones JAC-421 and JAC-427 remains in effect.
2:06. p.m.: A 2nd alarm response has been requested by Incident Command, according to the WatchDuty app.
The fire is estimated at between 50 and 60 acres, according to Air Attack on radio, per WatchDuty. The fire is mapped in the 5700 block of Sterling Creek Road, southeast of Ruch.
1:27 p.m.: The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has issued Level 1: BE READY evacuation notices for Zones JAC-421 and JAC-427 in the area east of Woodrat Mountain Road and Sterling Creek Road outside Ruch.
For information on firefighting efforts go to ODF Southwest Oregon District https://www.facebook.com/ODFSouthwest/
For more information on the Evacuation Levels go to: https://wildfire.oregon.gov/Pages/evacuations.aspx
Do you Know Your Zone? Visit Genasys Protect https://protect.genasys.com/ to find your zone.
12:55 p.m. update: The fire is estimated at between 20 and 30 acres. Additional air support has been requested, and the fire is being identified at the “Woodrat Fire.”
See previous coverage below
Firefighters are conducting an aggressive initial attack on a grass fire burning along Woodrat Mountain, south of Jacksonville near Ruch, the Oregon Department of Forestry Southwest District reported at just before 1 p.m.
The fire is estimated at approximately 5 acres and is burning uphill.
Additional resources have been ordered, including a Type 1 helicopter. A Type 2 helicopter is on scene conducting bucket drops, with a Type 3 helicopter and Air Attack assisting overhead.
More updates will be provided as information becomes available.
Rogue Valley Times reporter Buffy Pollock contributed to this report.