Photo credit Patrick Moore:

June 12, 2025 3:50 a.m.

Crews with Central Douglas Fire & Rescue and other agencies responded to a grass fire northwest of Roseburg on Wednesday afternoon.

CDF&R Battalion Chief Mitch Doss said just after 2:00 p.m. the fire which had been started by an unattended burn barrel, was reported in the 700 block of River Bend Road, off Fisher Road. Doss said initial reports indicated that the fire was a quarter of an acre in size and spreading to nearby structures.

The first responders to the scene found an active grass fire that had spread to a nearby outbuilding. Shortly after the crews began working on the fire, multiple propane tanks that were stored in the outbuilding began to explode. This caused the fire to rapidly spread to two adjacent structures and threaten multiple nearby homes.

Doss said a large amount of effort was put towards keeping the crews safe from the multiple hazards present in the area while containing the fire to the three involved structures. Once the forward spread of the fire had been stopped, crews transitioned into extinguishment.

CDF&R responded to the incident with eight pieces of equipment and two command units, totaling 16 paid and volunteer personnel. Crews from the Roseburg Fire Department, Douglas Forest Protective Association and Pacific Power assisted at the scene.

Doss said CDF&R would like to remind residents that fire season is now in effect. Open burning including debris piles and burn barrels are always prohibited.