Fire & Smoke
Crews nearing complete containment of Southwest Oregon fires
Crews are nearing complete containment of several lightning-caused fires in Jackson and Josephine counties.
July 17, 2025
Crews are nearing complete containment of several lightning-caused fires in Jackson and Josephine counties.
As wildfire danger grows, Gov. Tina Kotek declared a state of emergency across Oregon on Wednesday.
Crews continue to hold containment lines on the more than 70 lightning-caused fires amid hot, dry conditions.
Five years since the Phoenix-Talent School District was devastated by the 2020 Almeda Fire, district officials say they jumped at the chance to offer a much-needed home base for nearly 200 firefighters grappling with dozens of fires impacting the region over the past week.
Climate change, outdated building codes and highly combustible fuels are among factors that make Ashland more likely than 97% of all U.S. cities to have a catastrophic wildfire, according to a wildfire plan commissioned by Ashland officials.
Crews continue to make progress on the more than 70 fires in Jackson and Josephine counties.
Playing with fire might sound dangerous, but a group of seasoned performers is combining dance with flames, bringing back a part of Ashland’s culture that hadn’t been seen in over a decade. Every Wednesday, kids, adults, anyone can enjoy watching fire dancing downtown on the Ashland Plaza.
Crews are making progress on the more than 70 fires burning in Jackson and Josephine counties as they face dangerous, dry conditions in the coming days.
What to do before, during and after an evacuation are among the topics Ashland emergency officials will discuss during an evacuation preparedness meeting on Wednesday.
During a pair of meetings on Monday and Tuesday, Ashland City Council will review a wildfire plan and a proposal to build affordable housing.
Barbara Shor: I first met Jane Goodall in 1987 at a lecture she gave at the Sacramento Zoo, where I was working as veterinarian as part of my residency program in non-domestic animal medicine at UC Davis.
Ashland, long celebrated for its Shakespearean drama, is about to trade soliloquies for sarcasm. From Dec. 5 to 7, the city will host the inaugural Ashland Sarcasm Festival (ASF!), a comedy takeover designed to fill theaters, bars and restaurants with sharp wit, satire and laughter.
Tickets are selling fast for “Mass for the Endangered,” described as a multi-sensory film experience of music and animated artwork being presented Sunday at the ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum in Ashland.
Ashland Scout Troop 112 will honor local veterans with a free Veterans Day breakfast on Tuesday, Nov. 11, from 7 to 11:30 a.m., or until food runs out, at Elks Lodge No. 944. Scouts will take orders, serve meals and visit with veterans as part of the local troop’s tradition of showing gratitude to those who served.
A proposal to improve safety along Lithia Park’s received a tepid response from the Ashland Parks & Recreation Commission on Wednesday, Nov. 5. Although commissioners supported adding disability parking near the Japanese Garden and created a designated pedestrian walkway, many questioned whether the cost would lead to meaningful safety improvements.
Medford voters appear to have approved a 2% increase to the city’s transient lodging tax, which will help partially pay for the construction of a downtown conference center and minor-league ballpark.
(It’s free)