August 26, 2019 4:00 a.m.
An electrical short on a piece of equipment likely sparked a fire Saturday afternoon 7 miles northwest of Elkton, near Weatherly Creek Road.

Kyle Reed of the Douglas Forest Protective Association said their crews along with firefighters from the Coos Forest Protective Association, Elkton Rural Fire Department, and Scottsburg Rural Fire Department responded to the fire at about 3:00 p.m. Reed said the first units to arrive on the scene of the fire reported a fully involved shovel that had spread to the surrounding vegetation. 2 helicopters dropped buckets of water on the fire while ground resources completed fire lines around the blaze.

Reed said the Weatherly Creek Fire destroyed the shovel and burned about ¼ acre of grass and young trees before the fire’s spread was stopped. Firefighters remained on the scene until about 6:30 p.m. mopping up hot spots and securing control lines.