June 16, 2026 3:30 a.m. 

The fire danger on lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry Southwest Oregon District will increase to High and the Industrial Fire Protection level will increase to Level 2 on Wednesday.

The increase is due to persistent hot temperatures and vegetation that continues to dry across Southwest Oregon. Public Information Officer Samantha Kadera said ODF Southwest responded to multiple fires in recent days, with the largest being the Spencer Gulch Fire, roughly four miles south of Ruch. Kadera said firefighters were able to stop the forward spread at approximately 75 acres.

The change affects 1.8 million acres of state, private, county, and Bureau of Land Management lands in Jackson and Josephine counties.

The primary difference between current fire prevention restrictions and those beginning on Thursday affects the public use of power-driven equipment, such as chainsaws, mowers, weed eaters, and more. The use of power-driven equipment, grinding, cutting of metal, and other spark-emitting equipment such as wood splitters and generators will be prohibited between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. This does not apply to mowing green lawns.

For complete information about fire restrictions in the ODF Southwest Oregon District, go to the link with our story at: www.swofire.com