Firefighters Gained Upper Hand on Grass Fire that Closed Interstate 5 in Ashland
Firefighters have gained the upper hand on a fast-moving grass fire that erupted near Ashland and shut down the southbound lanes of Interstate 5 yesterday.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Oregon Department of Forestry, Jackson County Fire District #5 and Ashland Fire & Rescue responded to the fire near milepost 11.5 of I-5.
Arriving agencies engaged in an aggressive initial attack that included orders for air tanker and helicopter drops of water and retardant. The initial size of the fire was estimated to be five acres and the Oregon Department of Transportation shut down the southbound lanes of I-5 due to its proximity to the freeway.
The Jackson County Sheriff's Office issued a Level 3 "Go Now" evacuation order for one zone and a Level 2 "Be Set" evacuation notice for another. The evacuation notices were left at Level 2 overnight as crews continued to mop-up the blaze.
By 3:05 p.m., firefighters had the fire 90% wetlined and were keeping it in check with helicopter water bucket drops. Forward progress of the blaze was stopped and retardant loads were canceled. Resources continued lining the fire and bolstering containment lines.
In a final update at 7:20 p.m., ODF reported the fire was GPS-mapped at 13 acres and it was 100% lined. Firefighting resources remained engaged in mopping up the incident through the night. ODOT reopened one travel lane on southbound I-5.
ODF officials said the cause of the fire was under investigation.
Posted on 9/5/24 6:44AM by Sam Marsh
