Grass fire on Roxy Ann threatens Medford homes; roads closed

3:30 p.m. update:Helicopters, planes and ground crews are fighting a fire burning at the edge of neighborhoods near the intersection of Vista Pointe Drive and Deer Ridge Drive in east Medford.

Medford fire marshal Greg Kleinberg said fire crews don't yet know whether the Roxy Ann Peak fire, reported at 2:27 p.m., has burned structures. The fire had burned to the edge of the sidewalk on Vista Pointe Drive and neighbors in the area were hosing down yards.

Neighbors at the scene said they had heard explosions, and electrical service was out in the area.

Medford police closed Hillcrest Road at Foothill Road and McAndrews Avenue at Foothill and asked people to stay away from the area.

Firefighters said the flames were moving north, toward neighborhoods in the Normil Terrace area.

The fire was driven by winds of 15 to 20 mph.

Karee Battenfield was grocery shopping this afternoon when she got a cellphone call from her four children, who were at their Bordeaux Avenue home in east Medford.

“Flames were right behind our fence as high as our house — a two-story house,” Battenfield said.

Leaving the groceries behind, Battenfield raced back to her neighborhood where she met her children — ages 16, 14, 7 and 5 — in the Bethel Church at Vista Pointe parking lot.

“They were smart enough to come down to the parking lot where they thought it would be safe,” Battenfield said. “They're spraying down our house right now. There are two more houses behind us, but we can see that they're still there.”

Two helicopters were dipping into an irrigation pond at nearby Hillcrest Orchards, across McAndrews Road.

— Staff reports

3:10 p.m. update: Helicopters, planes and ground crews are fighting a fire burning at the edge of neighborhoods near the intersection of Vista Pointe Drive and Deer Ridge Road in east Medford.

Medford fire marshal Greg Kleinberg said fire crews don't yet know whether the Roxy Ann Peak fire, reported at 2:27 p.m., has burned structures. The fire had burned to the edge of the sidewalk on Vista Pointe Drive and neighbors in the area were hosing down yards.

Medford police closed Hillcrest Road at Foothill Road and McAndrews Avenue at Foothill and asked people to stay away from the area.

Firefighters said the flames were moving north, toward neighborhoods in the Normal Terrace area.

The fire was driven by winds of 15 to 20 mph.

A swiftly moving fire at the base of Roxy Ann Peak is threatening homes in the Vista Point subdivision in east Medford.

Flames are shooting 40 to 50 feet in the air behind Bethel Church along Park Ridge Drive not far from East McAndrews Road. Witnesses reported explosions, possibly electrical transformers.

-- Staff reports


Reader Reaction
We reserve the right to remove any content at any time from this Community, including without limitation. Please check our Community Rules for more information. We ask that you report content that you in good faith believe violates the above rules by clicking the Flag link next to the offending comment or fill out this form. New comments are only accepted for two weeks from the date of publication.
Ads by Google
Click Here to Subscribe!
loading...
COUPON OF THE WEEK