KDRV Staff
 
June 1, 2009
 
MEDFORD, Ore. -The Oregon Department of Forestry says more than 20 lightning sparked fires were reported on both Bureau of Land Management and private lands over the weekend, including three on Monday.
 
Crews put out those fires, but are still concerned about more lightning strikes through Tuesday night. Fire season kicked off in Klamath County Monday, although it has not officially started in Jackson or Josephine counties.
 
The majority were small fires, about a half-acre or less. The largest burned five acres southeast of Ruch in the Bishop Creek Area. That fire is now contained.
 
10 of the fires were reported in the Rogue River Siskiyou National Forest. The largest one, in the Red Buttes Wilderness Area, burned three acres.  
 
As of Monday in Northern California, the Cal Fire Office in Yreka says it knows of 14 fires on state-protected land  and eight more on USFS land. Fire managers say Monday is the first day of fire season in Siskiyou County, but they won't be fully staffed until July 1st.
 
"Right now we have 13 engines staffed with the state. I believe there's 13 engines staffed with the Klamath National Forest. We currently have a helicopter coming in from Vina that'll support our efforts today. I believe we will have some aircraft up for lightning detection to see if they can find fires from the air," says Cal Fore Division Chief Jeff Burns.
 
Burns says despite state budget problems, Governor Schwarzenegger has pledged to maintain fire staff levels where they were last year.
 
Meanwhile, between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. Sunday night, the Medford Police Department responded to almost 40 storm related calls. Those include street flooding, traffic signal problems, and alarms going off.
 
"As far as the police department goes, we're plugging away with our normal staffing levels. And we're just dealing with the extra calls for service. We certainly appreciate the help from the public," says Lieutenant Tim Doney with the Medford Police Department.
 
The MPD says if you don't have an emergency, but would like to bring a storm-related problem to their attention, you can call their non-emergency number at 541-770-4784.
 
The National Weather Service is offering safety tips during a lightning storm. Those include avoiding showering, because exposed metal pipes can conduct electricity. If you are outside, avoid open fields, high ground, and stay away from the tallest tree in the area. If you are in your house, your electronics may also need some protection.
 
"One, stay inside. Two, if you can shut down devices, such as computers that are subject to disrupted by power surges," says National Weather Service Meteorologist Jay Stockton.
 
Connecting Point in Medford says it sees many appliances damaged every year during lightning storms. It says surge protectors can be helpful, but if lightning is close the best thing to do is turn off appliances.
 
The NWS has more tips listed at www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov.