At approximately 6:00 p.m. Friday evening, crews from the Douglas Forest Protective Association and North Douglas County Fire & EMS responded to a reported natural cover fire near I-5 milepost 163 northbound. While en-route to the fire, responding units were notified of reports received by the Douglas County 911 Communication Center of multiple fires that were burning alongside Interstate 5, near the Curtin area. When firefighters arrived on scene, they located six fires burning between milepost 162 and milepost 165 northbound.
Crews were able to quickly knock down the four most northern fires, the largest of which burned about four acres. The two most southern fires, located just north of the I-5 mp 162 onramp, challenged firefighters as both fires moved quickly up the hillside.
Two helicopters were used to help cool the fires as crews and bulldozers worked their way around the fires. An air tanker from the Medford Tanker Base was also dispatched to the fire and delivered one load of fire retardant across the top of the southern two fires, slowing the fires spread farther up the hill. These two fires eventually merged together and are estimated to be about 78 acres in size.
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