RUCH, Ore. – Firefighters working on the Upper Applegate Fire continue to make steady strides across the incident, pushing forward progress in mop-up operations and bringing the overall incident up to 55% contained. The fire, located along the 2000-block of Upper Applegate Road on private and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land, was caught by firefighters at 453 acres.
Cool weather conditions persisted Friday night, and a short duration of heavy rain was seen across the fire. On Saturday, temperatures remained much lower than normal, however only a light drizzle of rain fell. Overnight, resources focused on mop-up operations, reaching 100 feet into the fire’s perimeter. This work consists of searching for remaining hotspots within the fire line, which could include smoldering coals or root systems underground that are still holding heat. If left, the fire could flare up again in hot, windy conditions. As firefighters continue to make progress on this tedious work, the line that was
initially built around the fire grows stronger and containment increases.
Sunday night, resources assigned to the fire will scout the areas that have been mopped up with infrared (IR) technology to help locate any missed hotspots and ensure the area is
completely free of fire or heat.
Tomorrow (Monday) firefighters will continue with this process, pushing for150 feet into the interior clear of hotspots. Resources on the line will be the same as Saturday’s roster of seven 20-person crews, one 10-person crew, four engines, two water tenders and one bulldozer. Four sets of fallers remain on the fire as well, removing hazard trees when needed to
This will be the final update unless conditions significantly change create a safer working environment. In total, 202 personnel are assigned to the incident.
On Saturday morning, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Management cancelled all evacuation notices that were left around the fire area. Roads remain open around the fire, including Upper Applegate and Little Applegate roads, however firefighters are still working in the area. Please be aware and cautious when traveling near the fire area.
The Upper Applegate Fire of 2025 was reported at 12:30 p.m. on June 18 as a grass fire nearly a year to the day of last year’s Upper Applegate incident. Both fires are located in the same general area, with similar weather and vegetation moisture levels, however this year’s fire started roughly three hours earlier in the day. Additionally, on both days, ODF was responding to a second fire during initial attack. While there are slight nuances to the data, these events are similar in nature across the board. Despite these similarities, fire managers attribute bringing ODF initial attack firefighters on earlier, as well as hazard tree mitigation work in the area completed by the BLM this year to the success of firefighters on the ground.
“Our funding model is set for us, and it allows for a limited amount of time we can employ our seasonal firefighters. With more fires starting in June each year, we took a creative approach to our hiring practices and brought on Forest Officers a week early this year,” Dan Quinones said, ODF Southwest Oregon’s District Forester. “It’s a balance, because it dictates how long into September and October we can keep those positions staffed, and we will likely still be responding to fires at that point. But with that decision, those firefighters were through their recertifications a week early and were in their patrol areas ready to make a fast response to the Upper Applegate Fire. This is a direct reflection of our staffing needs to protect the communities we serve and the positive result of having firefighters on staff earlier.”
Prior work helped create safer access points for firefighters
Along the fire’s perimeter, work completed by the BLM Ashland Field Office over the winter helped to create safer access points for firefighters on the Upper Applegate Fire. The project focused on roadside hazard tree removal along Spencer Gulch Road, which ended up being parallel with the fire’s northern flank. The results of the sale removed thousands of dead trees and the safety concerns related to them. Spencer Gulch Road has been a critical access road for firefighters and is serving as a contingency fire line. BLM’s efforts to mitigate the dead trees have resulted in safer access for firefighters and provided a contingency fire line that would have limited acres on the fire if it pushed past temporary retardant lines.
Numerous agencies responded to this fire alongside ODF and Applegate Rural Fire District initially, including the BLM and U.S. Forest Service Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. Structure fire agencies from across Jackson and Josephine counties created four task forces to protect homes in the area; due to their fast response, not a single home was lost in this fire. Oregon State Fire Marshal also sent two additional structural task forces from Lane and Marion counties to relieve the local resources on Friday while wildland firefighters continued their work to line the fire and bring control to the incident. ODF would also like to recognize the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Jackson County Emergency Management, the Redcross, the Expo, Jackson County Roads and all agencies involved that aided in the response and effort on this incident.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. This will be the final update on this incident unless conditions significantly change. For more fire information, including current fire regulations, visit our Facebook page, @ODFSouthwest or our website, www.swofire.com.
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