The timber industry and environmentalists are headed toward a showdown over forest management that could bring as many as nine ballot measures before the voters next November.
Despite the recent rainfall, a small grass fire burned about half an acre east of Myrtle Creek on Thursday, according to the Douglas Forest Protective Association.
Four more lightning-caused fires have been located since Friday night, bringing the total number of fires in the area to 25, according to the Douglas Forest Protective Association.
Different management styles for the forest, pre- and post-catastrophic wildfires, were the key talking points during the Aug. 22 “Return to the Burn” tour of the Bland Mountain and Stouts Creek fire areas.
Firefighters from the Douglas Forest Protective Association located 10 additional lighting-related fires Friday, bringing the total number of fires caused by Thursday’s electrical storm to 21.
Thursday’s thunderstorm entertained onlookers as long arcs of electricity crackled through the night’s sky.
The Douglas Forest Protective Association responded to its 63rd fire of 2019 on Thursday.
TRI CITY — Officials briefed U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden on conditions of the Milepost 97 Fire at the incident command center late Tuesday morning.
The Milepost 97 Fire south of Canyonville was 65% contained as of late Monday night.
Crews completed fire line around the entire perimeter of the Milepost 97 Fire Saturday and officials said the fire hasn’t increased in size since Friday, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry.
About noon Tuesday, firefighters at the Milepost 97 Fire who spent the morning felling hazardous trees along Interstate 5 southbound near Canyon Creek stopped for lunch.
As the Milepost 97 Fire enters its second week, crews are making substantial progress, Oregon Department of Forestry officials said.
TRI CITY — Containment on the Milepost 97 Fire jumped 10 percentage points Tuesday to 25% — the largest increase since the fire began one week ago.
TRI CITY — The Milepost 97 Fire burning south of Canyonville has grown to 12,336 acres as of Tuesday morning.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Milepost 97 Fire.
The Milepost 97 Fire burning south of Canyonville grew to 11,668 acres Monday morning.
The Douglas Forest Protective Association reported Saturday someone stole a cargo trailer filled with equipment to fight the Milepost 97 Fire.
GLENDALE — Sarena Alessio had planned to return Sunday after a week away from her home off Azalea Glen Road on Sunday.
When he got up to mow his grass early Saturday morning, Harold Terry was pleased to see the air wasn’t as smoky as the night before.
After a final look through her house before evacuating Thursday night, Jayonna Hunnell paused briefly to make sure she packed all her irreplaceable possessions.
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Friday 8:45 p.m. update: The Douglas County Sheriff's Office has issued Level 1 "Ready" evacuation notices for all residences on the west side of Interstate 5 between mileposts 88-83. This includes:
CANYONVILLE — Mike and Donna Cox sat in their car on North Gazley Road with a mix of emotions as smoke and flames from the Milepost 97 Fire turned the dusk sky near Canyonville into a mixture of orange and red.
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CANYONVILLE — Fire crews from the Douglas Forest Protective Association and South County fire departments responded to a natural cover fire close to one mile southeast of Canyonville.
Douglas County Commissioner Tim Freeman was invited to the White House to hear President Donald Trump speak about the environment.
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, said in a conference call with Oregon reporters Thursday he’s still not sure why the Trump administration called recently for all 25 Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers to be shut down or privatized.
Wolf Creek Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center will not be privatized.
People may have seen smoke coming from Reservoir Hill in Roseburg on Monday, and they might Wednesday and Friday too.
An amendment that would protect Civilian Conservation Centers like the Wolf Creek Job Corps in Glide passed in the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday on a bipartisan 313-109 vote.
The 2018 drought, coupled with the February snowstorm, took a toll on forested lands in Douglas County, according to Phil Morton, executive director of the county Farm Service Agency.
Fire crews extinguished a natural cover fire Saturday evening five miles west of Winston near Hidden Valley Lane.
Flames from the Tiller Trail Highway Fire appeared to be closing in on Tiller resident Paulette Fowler-Harris’ house Thursday.
With six weeks left until summer, fire crews responded to four fires in Douglas County on Thursday.
Fire crews with the Douglas Fire Protection Agency completed a fire line around a 15-acre fire burning near Tenmile on Wednesday.
Douglas County Commissioner Tim Freeman has been reappointed an ex officio member of the Douglas Forest Protective Association Board.
It may still be winter, but firefighters are already putting out fires.
Communities need to change the way they prepare for wildfires, especially massive ones that rip through thousands of acres, according to U.S. Forest Service research ecologist Paul Hessburg.
The Douglas Forest Protective Association and other regional fire crews responded to a fire in the Bear Springs area, approximately 7 miles west of Glendale, which ignited early Thursday morning.
