A series of suspicious fires cast a flickering, orange glow on the hilltops southeast of Roseburg Halloween night, consuming an estimated 45 acres in the Dawson Canyon area, according to the Douglas Forest Protective Association.

"We responded to a series of fires about three miles east of Roseburg," said DFPA spokesman Tom Fields. The fires were on hilltops just east of the Southgate shopping area.

"We're treating it as a suspicious fire," he said. "And just because we're calling it a suspicious fire doesn't mean we're calling it arson.

"The property owners have been very helpful in the investigation," he added.

The fires broke out around 5 p.m. Thursday, just as the bag-toting troupes of little goblins and ghouls began to fill the streets in the city below.

Teenagers too old to knock on doors gawked and gasped at the blaze from a vantage point at the Cinema 7 in northwest Roseburg.

The blaze was 80 percent contained as of 8 a.m. this morning, according to the DFPA, and officials expected to have it completely trailed by noon today with mop-up efforts to follow.

"November is typically when we go out of fire season," Fields said, "but this is an unusual year due to the lack of rainfall and the fact that the grass and the trees and the brush are all really dry.

"Last night's fire was a testament to just how well things can still burn."

No structures were threatened by the blaze, the cause of which remains under investigation.

Fire officials remind the public that campfires are allowed only in designated campgrounds and smoking is prohibited in wildland areas. Outdoor burning requires an on-site inspection and written permit by a DFPA forest officer.

For burn permits, call the Roseburg office of the DFPA at (541) 672-6507. For public and industry restrictions information, call the closure information line at (541) 672-0379.



-- You can reach reporter Christian Bringhurst at 957-4213 or by e-mail at cbringhurst@newsreview.info.