New Wildfire Spreads Rapidly Through Oregon
By Cole Taylor
Medford — Aug. 27—A wildfire burning in Southeastern Oregon has nearly quadrupled in size over a day. Strong winds have since spread the fire to rural parts of Josephine County, prompting evacuations. The Rum Creek Fire, located about fifty miles from Medford, grew from 1,200 to 4,700 acres over Friday night.
A lightning strike started the fire on August 17th, and intense winds in the following days spread sparks to both sides of a river. Spot fires quickly broke out alongside the bank, creating a large smoke cloud that spread the fire to the southeast.
Emergency officials have issued immediate evacuations and lower-level evacuation alerts for Josephine County residents. Gov. Kate Brown also declared an emergency conflagration order Saturday morning, prompting the Oregon State Fire Marshal to take command.
“It’s unsafe to stay and threatens the safety of you, your family, and emergency responders. Your life could be in great danger,” the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office said Friday. “Emergency services personnel may not be available to help you if you choose to stay.”
As of Saturday morning, no houses or other property have been destroyed by the fire. There are currently 33 active wildfires in different parts of Oregon, with over 22,000 acres of land burned; however, this is by far the largest at this time, and authorities are keeping a close eye on its progress.
