Oregon Deploys Emergency Fire Teams to Rogue Valley as Heat and Lightning Stoke Wildfire Fears

By Diane Megaw On Jul 9, 2025

JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. — Two structural task forces from Benton and Lane counties have been mobilized to the Rogue Valley in southern Oregon by the Oregon State Fire Marshal through Immediate Response to boost capacity as local structural and wildland firefighters responded to wildfires on Tuesday.

Southern Oregon Wildfire Firefighters Get Additional Crews

Responding to a request for additional aid from the Rogue Valley Fire Defense Board Chief, the state Fire Marshal invoked Immediate Response, which allows the agency to send resources without invoking the Emergency Conflagration Act.

This enables the agency to surge resources to keep fires small and away from communities, thereby preventing costly wildfires.

Additional thunderstorms and hot temperatures are forecast today, and the Jackson County Sheriff, Oregon, has reported two current fires:

A wildfire between Howard Prairie and Hyatt Lakes, near mile marker 1749.5 on the Pacific Crest Trail in Jackson County, OR. There are no evacuations at this time, but the public was asked to use caution or detour around this section of the trail.
Neil Creek Fire in Ashland: Burning East of I-5 near Neil Creek Road, south of Ashland, the fire has been upgraded to Level 2 – Be Set to Evacuate. The new zones activated to Level 2 are Zone JAC-543, JAC-546, and JAC-559. Zones JAC-536, JAC-542, and JAC-558 are still under Level 2- Be Set to evacuate for a fire burning.

To find out what zone you live in, go to https://protect.genasys.com/

Chief Deputy Travis Medema confirmed that much of Oregon is being challenged by recent heat, Red Flag Warnings, and more lightning in the forecast, and that the agency is assisting stretched local fire agencies in Southern Oregon through the Oregon Fire Mutual Aid System to bring in extra help.

The Oregon State Fire Marshal is continuing to monitor the situation and will adjust aid as needed. However, they have asked all Oregonians to do their part in preventing human-caused wildfires. Visit https://preventwildfires.oregon.gov for information and resources on wildfire prevention and preparedness.