April 25, 2023 4:20 a.m.

Crews with the Oregon Department of Forestry Southwest Oregon District responded to and extinguished the first fires of 2023 on ODF-protected lands in Josephine and Jackson counties on Monday.

Public Information Officer Natalie Weber said the Watts Mine Fire was reported off the 16000 block of Water Gap Road in Williams. It was stopped at a little more than three-quarters of an acre by midday Monday. The fire affected Bureau of Land Management land.

At about 2:45 p.m. ODF was requested by Jackson County Fire District 5 to respond as mutual aid to a grassfire on the 1500 block of Tyler Creek Road off of Highway 66, southeast of Ashland. The Tyler Creek Fire burned an estimated two acres on private land and was quickly extinguished.

A third fire was reported shortly before 4:00 p.m. near Birdseye Creek, south of Rogue River. Jackson County Fire District 1 was able to quickly extinguish it at a small size.

All three fires are under investigation. No homes or buildings were impacted by any of these incidents.

Weber said these fires are a good reminder that while snowpack levels are higher than in recent years, rainfall in Josephine and Jackson counties is still below average and a slight drought persists across southern Oregon. With warm and windy conditions forecast for this week, the risk of fires spreading naturally increases. This shift in the weather signals the potential for fires on the landscape.

More information about the ODF Southwest Oregon District is available at www.swofire.com. The agency is on Facebook and Twitter as well.