August 26, 2021 4:00 a.m. 

Crews with the Douglas Forest Protective Association and North Douglas County Fire and EMS responded to a natural cover fire on Wednesday evening, near the Curtin exit of Interstate Five northbound.

It became known as the Pass Creek Fire.

Kyle Reed of DFPA said firefighters arrived on the scene at around 6:00 p.m. and reported that the fire was a quarter of an acre in size and was spreading up the hillside into a fire scar from the 2018 Milepost 163 Fire. Reed said due to the location and potential for fire spread, additional resources were requested to assist with the suppression efforts.

Three helicopters were used to drop buckets of water onto the advancing flames while three bulldozers, two of which were provided by industrial operators, worked to construct containment lines around the fire. Reed said the bulldozers were followed by multiple engine crews, installing sections of forestry hose around the fire to help extinguish the flames. By nightfall, crews had stopped the forward spread of the fire at approximately four acres of vegetation. Firefighters remained on the scene well into the night, mopping up hot spots and securing control lines.

Reed said no homes were threatened by the Pass Creek Fire. The cause is under investigation. DFPA and North Douglas County Fire and EMS were assisted by the Elkton Rural Fire Department, Oakland Rural Fire Department, South Lane County Fire and Rescue, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon State Police and the Oregon Department of Transportation.