North Valley Residents Showing Concern after Tuesday Railroad Fire near Hugo
Firefighters extinguished a small fire near the railroad tracks in the Hugo area early yesterday.
Rural Metro Fire Department and the Oregon Department of Forestry responded to a reported fire along the railroad tracks in the area of Russell Road and Jess Way.
At 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, Rural Metro reported firefighters had accessed the 1/4-acre fire and were establishing water and containment lines. The railroad company was notified as some railroad ties had been damaged by the flames. No structures were threatened and the cause of the fire was under investigation.
Many North Valley residents are concerned that someone might be intentionally setting fires in the area. On Monday, firefighters put out six fires along Interstate 5 near the Manzanita Rest Area and two more on Walker Mountain above the Josephine County Sportsman's Park.
Officials said all the fires in the North Valley area over the past few days are being actively investigated by ODF, the Oregon State Fire Marshal and the Josephine County Sheriff's Office. With no witnesses to the ignition of these fires, all factors must be taken into account. All leads are being pursued and evaluated.
Potential factors include vehicles and trains throwing sparks, transient campfires and intentional acts by humans, but they are just a few of the possible contributors.
Posted on 9/25/24 6:11AM by Sam Marsh
