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Medford, Oregon – In coordination with the incident commander on the South Obenchain Fire, the Bureau of Land Management is reducing the size of the public lands closure area related to the South Obenchain fire. Fire managers want to remind the public that suppression and repair activities are still ongoing and they have seen increased public activity in the burn area. Public access in and around the fire poses a safety concern for the public and for firefighters.

Despite the re-opening of some of these public lands, fuel conditions remain dry and new starts are possible. Help us thank firefighters, and protect your community, by doing your part to prevent new fires by following the public use restrictions that are still in place. Campfires are prohibited on all public lands in the Medford District, and smoking is only allowed while inside a vehicle or in an area that is at least three feet in diameter clear of flammable vegetation. Do not park or drive on dry vegetation.

All BLM-managed public lands, roads, sites, and trails in Jackson County remain closed within the following area: north of Highway 140, east and south of Highway 62 to Crowfoot Road, west and South of Crowfoot Road until Butte Falls Highway, south of Butte Falls Highway and Butte-Falls Fish Lake Highway, and west of the Willamette Meridian Range 2E and 3E boundary line (approximately 2.5 miles west of Butte Falls). Members of the public may not enter closed areas, and all uses—including operating any vehicle, hunting, and dispersed camping—are prohibited. Maps of the closure areas are available on the Bureau of Land Management’s website: https://www.blm.gov/programs/public-safety-and-fire/fire-and-aviation/regional-info/oregon-washington/fire-restrictions

Additional information on the South Obenchain Fire is available on Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/7185/55531/

Residents can still expect to see smokes from the deep interior of the South Obenchain Fire. Please call 911 to report any signs of new fires outside of the existing fire perimeter.

Please avoid outdoor recreation in these closed areas and observe public use restrictions to help us limit potential new starts during this time:

• Campfires or any other type of open fire, including the use of charcoal briquettes, is prohibited on BLM-managed land.
• Power-driven machinery is prohibited in forested areas. This restriction includes power saws; equipment used for the cutting, grinding, or welding of metal; mowing of dry, cured grass with power equipment; and the use of any other spark-emitting equipment using an internal combustion engine.
• Smoking is only allowed while inside a vehicle or while stopped in an area at least three (3) feet in diameter that is clear of flammable vegetation. 
• Operating a motor vehicle and parking off road (including motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles) is only allowed on roadways clear of flammable vegetation. 
• Using fireworks, exploding targets, or tracer ammunition is prohibited. 
• Using a chainsaw or other equipment with internal combustion engines for felling, bucking, skidding, woodcutting, or any other operation is prohibited. 
• Welding or operating a torch with an open flame is prohibited. 

Visitors to lands managed by the BLM are also required to carry tools with them to ensure small fires can be put out quickly, including a shovel, axe, and at least one gallon of water or a 2.5-pound fire extinguisher. 

A list of personal use restrictions, as well as closure orders, are available at https://www.blm.gov/programs/public-safety-and-fire/fire-and-aviation/regional-info/oregon-washington/fire-restrictions. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter @BLMOregon.