A grass fire Wednesday afternoon burned a section of Lithia Park. [Photo from City of Ashland website]
Illegal fire by the cook caused the fire on Wednesday night
A grass fire in lower Lithia Park drew a response from city, county and state agencies, which knocked it down around midnight Thursday.
The fire between the park band shell and the playground was definitely human-caused, with the kitchen fire still burning and food actively heating when crews arrived, Chambers said. Some personal items were recovered from the point of origin, but the suspect had already fled the scene, he said.
Chambers said the Ashland Police Department is investigating the fire and searching for the suspect.
Ten firefighters from Ashland Fire & Rescue responded with four engines to the call dispatched at 11:38 p.m. Wednesday. The Oregon Department of Forestry sent an engine and crew, which Chambers said he was grateful for, given the skill and speed of ODF firefighters in digging out the line around ‘a fire, as well as their readiness to move snags and logs out of the way.
Crews were able to take an engine to Pioneer Road, above the fire, and spray water on the flames below, he said. The portion of the road above the fire is a dirt road, which serves as a wildfire cutoff, Chambers explained, nearby homes were not considered threatened.
“We assessed the need for an evacuation, but based on what we saw on the ground, we decided it wasn’t necessary,” Chambers said, referring to the silence of the Nixle app last night.
Fire District 5 responded and stood by as backup, ready to help if the fire spread beyond the park and threatened neighboring homes, but they were not needed.
Firefighters arrived at the scene five minutes after the warning. The fire was extinguished at 12:16 p.m
During the fire, there was a medical visit to the city of Ashland. Fire District 5 and Mercy Flights assisted with transporting the patient to allow Ashland firefighters to remain on scene, according to an email from Ashland Fire and Rescue Chief Ralph Sartain sent to the ‘Ashland City Council and obtained by the Mail Tribune.
“Fortunately, at the time of the fire we had everyone here; there were no other calls at that time,” said Ashland Wildfire Division Chief Chris Chambers.
Fire crews remained on the scene until daylight, about 6 a.m. Thursday, Chambers said, when they were able to thoroughly sweep the area for spot fires and found none.
The main trail in Lithia Park is completely safe and free of hazards, Chambers said, but he strongly cautioned against straying off the trail.
“Some trees may have been weakened by the fire, and crews will be monitoring the area for hot spots throughout the day,” he said.
Contact Mail Tribune reporter Morgan Rothborne at mrothborne@rosebudmedia.com or 541-776-4487. Follow her on Twitter @MRothborne.
