Josephine County chair warns residents as fire season continues, praises firefighting response

Chair Ron Smith reminded residents at the July 29 Weekly Business Session that Josephine County remained in fire season and commended the Oregon Department of Forestry and responding firefighters for their work on the East Evans Creek Fire, noting the incident "could have become substantially more severe."

Commissioner Gary Richardson added historical context, describing the Great Fire of 1910 — which he said burned approximately three million acres across three states within 72 hours — to emphasize the potential destructiveness of wildfires and urged the public to remain careful with fire. The Board provided these remarks as part of general announcements; no formal action or new emergency declarations were taken during the session.