Salt Creek And Upper Applegate Fires: Public Land Closures Cancelled By BLM

JACKSON COUNTY, Ore — The closure orders for the Salt Creek and Upper Applegate fires in Medford issued earlier this year by the district’s division of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) were rescinded today.

Effective from Saturday, September 21, 2024, at 12:01 a.m., the BLM Medford District said that public lands within and near the Salt Creek and Upper Applegate Fire areas would be reopened overnight.

The agency has also cautioned the community to be aware that there are still safety concerns for those heading out to public lands near the Salt Creek and Upper Applegate fires. The safety warnings include:

• If the wind picks up, leave the area immediately.
• Long after the fire has been extinguished, stump holes stay hot.
• Fire-weakened trees or their limbs could fall at any time without warning.
• If tree roots have burned out underground, footing can be unstable.
• A slide could be caused by water or mud that builds up quickly in wet weather.
• Dust and ash left by the fire may contain toxic and cancer-causing chemicals.

Salt Creek Fire Update

The Salt Creek Fire Area in the Butte Falls Field Office, Medford District restricted by a temporary closure order of public land in and near the Salt Creek Fire has been reopened following a recission of the order by BLM.

That emergency closure, issued on July 11, 2024, and updated on August 5, 2024, affected BLM-administered public lands, roads, sites, and trails in Jackson County.

The Salt Creek Fire burned over 4,000 acres of land north of Highway 140- about ten miles east of Eagle Point and was contained by July 28, 2024.

Upper Applegate Fire Update

The restriction in the Upper Applegate Fire area in the Ashland Field Office, Medford District, subjected to a temporary closure of public land in and near the Upper Applegate Fire has been lifted as the BLM has now rescinded the order.

The area includes BLM-administered public lands, roads, sites, and trails in Jackson County.

The agency issued the closure order on June 26, 2024, for the Upper Applegate Fire which was declared controlled on July 21, 2024.

BLM has revised details of Oregon fire closures and restrictions on their website.