LOWER ROGUE RIVER CORRIDOR, Ore. (Sept. 4, 2025) – Firefighters continued an aggressive, relentless attack on numerous fires throughout the Lower Rogue River Corridor in northwestern Josephine County on Thursday. These fires, a result of lightning strikes from Wednesday afternoon’s thunderstorm, are affecting Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land approximately 26 miles northwest of Grants Pass near the Winkle Bar Airstrip:
- The Kelsey Peak Fire remains the largest incident, now estimated to be 80 acres tonight. This fire is now the number one priority fire across ODF’s statewide jurisdiction due to its difficulty and safety concerns, and that designation will help to bring in more aircraft and needed resources. Firefighters were able to make good progress on a lot of the fire, building line where possible on the north and east sides of the incident; It’s currently 25% lined. The southern portion of the fire’s perimeter saw the most growth, and steep terrain and dense brush made working in this area difficult and dangerous. Aircraft were used throughout the day to drop water where needed, and an air tanker was able to drop a retardant line along the eastern border, which is serving as a temporary line as well. More air tankers were ordered, however smoky conditions around the fire made a retardant drop unsafe for a tanker to fly that low to the ground again. All resources continue to hike the hour and half trek to reach this fire, or return back to the road after a full shift.
- The Bald Ridge Fire #2 was located and caught at a quarter-acre last night. Firefighters were able to complete mop-up operations on this incident today, leaving it 100% lined and mopped up.
- The Cold Springs Fire was caught overnight at 1/10 of an acre last night. Firefighters were on scene today to finish mop-up following extensive saw work.
- The Ditch Creek was located by firefighters today, and they were able to stop this fire at 1/10 of an acre. It’s currently 100% lined and mop-up operations are ongoing. This fire is the only incident on private land.
- The Marial Fire was located by firefighters today and is currently holding at half an acre. Resources on scene remain engaged and working to build a line around it.
- The Mule Creek is estimated to be one acre. Resources were engaged on this incident today and will continue work tonight.
- The Bald Ridge Fire has not been located. Firefighters will continue to look for signs of fire in this area, as it may flare up again.
- The Hewitt Creek Fire was turned over to the U.S. Forest Service.
Firefighters also located four new lightning-caused fires today:
- The August Knob Fire, located northwest of the Kelsey Peak Fire. It’s currently 1/100 of an acre and firefighters are engaged.
- The Quail Creek Fire, just southwest of the August Knob Fire, was stopped at 1/10 of an acre today. It’s currently 100% lined and mop-up operations have begun.
- The Big Meadow Fire, located near the Quail Creek incident, was found and stopped at 1/10 of an acre today. It’s 100% lined and mopped up tonight.
- The Jeep Ridge Fire, located closer to the Kelsey Peak Fire, is 100% lined and 30% mopped up. It was caught at 1/100 of an acre today.
Tonight, a number of resources have been ordered to work Thursday’s overnight shift, including five 20-person crews, 13 engines and three water tenders. More than 120 personnel are assigned to these incidents tonight, with additional resources that are set to relieve them in the morning.
Additional fires burning in these areas are on ground protected by our partners at the U.S. Forest Service Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest and the Coos Forest Protective Association; please follow their pages for additional fire updates. With numerous fires along the lower Rogue River Corridor, please avoid these areas if at all possible, for your safety and the safety of those responding to these incidents. Road closures adjacent to the fire are in the works and will be going into effect for public and firefighter safety tomorrow.
Thunderstorms continue to remain in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow across Jackson and Josephine counties, with higher probability for the eastern portion of Jackson County. As a result, the National Weather Service Medford office has issued a Red Flag Warning for Friday from 1 – 9 p.m. across eastern Jackson County for abundant lightning on dry fuels. These storms bring the potential for gusty wind on existing incidents and new fire starts from lightning.
Today, firefighters also responded to a fire on the 3000-block of Jump Off Joe Creek Road around 9 a.m. this morning. Firefighters were able to stop that fire at 1/10 of an acre and tonight, it’s 100% lined and mopped up. As firefighters work to stop these fires on the Lower Rogue River Corridor, help them by preventing new fire starts on our landscape. Extreme fire danger is currently in effect on ODF and BLM land in Jackson and Josephine counties; all ODF regulations are available here: https://swofire.com/public-fire-restrictions/. BLM fire regulations can be found here: https://www.blm.gov/programs/fire/fire-restrictions
For fire updates anytime, follow ODF Southwest Oregon District on Facebook @ODFSouthwest or on our website, swofire.com.