September 8, 2026 3:30 p.m. 

Crews with the Douglas Forest Protective Association and other agencies dealt with two fires between Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning.

A DFPA release said on Monday at approximately 3:45 p.m. their firefighters along with the Canyonville-South Umpqua Fire District responded to a report of smoke approximately 0.4 miles west of Interstate 5 near milepost 96, a few miles south of Canyonville. Upon arrival, firefighters located a single lightning struck tree with fire spread to approximately 1/100th of an acre of nearby vegetation. Mop up work was continuing as of Tuesday afternoon.

On Tuesday morning just after 7:00 a.m. crews from DFPA and Douglas County Fire & EMS responded to a natural cover fire located near the railroad tracks, west of southbound Interstate 5 near milepost 166.5 about two miles south of the south Cottage Grove exit. Firefighters from North Douglas arrived on the scene first and knocked down the forward spread of a 1/100th acre fire. Command of the fire was transferred to DFPA, where crews completed mop up operations and transitioned the fire to patrol status. The cause of this fire remains under investigation.

No homes or structures were threatened by the fires.