Glendower Fire (aka Almeda Fire) burns toward Medford, Oregon

Multiple structures have burned

Updated September 9, 2020 | 9:04 a.m. PDT

Map Almeda Drive and South Obenchain Fires
Map of the Almeda Drive and South Obenchain Fires at 4:14 a.m. PDT Sept 9, 2020.

A second fire in the Medford, Oregon area, the South Obenchain Fire north of the city, is prompting evacuations in the Shady Cove and Eagle Point areas. Evacuation maps are HERE.


September 9, 2020 | 8:33 a.m. PDT

Map of the Almeda Drive Fire
Map of the Almeda Drive Fire (Glendower Fire) at 4:14 a.m. PDT Sept. 9, 2020. The icons represent heat detected by satellites.

Here is an updated map of the Almeda Drive Fire (previously known as Glendower) showing heat detected by satellites at 4:14 a.m. PDT September 9, 2020. There has been much confusion about the name of the fire, but we have information from a fire official that the correct name is Almeda Drive.

The blaze started north of Ashland late Tuesday morning and roughly followed the Interstate 5 corridor as strong winds pushed it northwest. It burned through parts of Talent and by 4:14 a.m. Wednesday was at Phoenix.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown declared the Almeda Drive Fire a conflagration, a large fire which destroys a great deal of land or property. This will allow the state to send resources to assist local agencies.

At about 12:15 Wednesday morning the Oregon Department of Forestry estimated the blaze had burned 2,500 to 3,000 acres.

The Oregon State Fire Marshal incident management team arrived on scene at 1:50 a.m. Wednesday.

Evacuations are in effect for parts of Jackson County and the Medford area. Jackson County and MedfordAlert have evacuation information.


September 8, 2020  |  10:10 p.m. PDT

map Glendower Fire
The icons represent heat detected on the Glendower Fire by satellites at 3:08 p.m. PDT September 8, 2020.

The Glendower Fire started north of Ashland, Oregon Tuesday morning then spread northwest along the Interstate 5 corridor (see the map above). At 5 p.m. it prompted evacuations of the entire city of Phoenix, Oregon. The incident is also known as the Almeda Fire.

By 8:45 p.m. evacuations were ordered in areas of Medford and multiple structures had burned. Jackson County and MedfordAlert have evacuation information. MedfordAlert said at 9:56 p.m. an evacuation center has been established at the Josephine County Fairgrounds on Redwood Avenue in Grants Pass. The Jackson County Expo is full.

Tuesday evening sections of Interstate 5 were closed north of the California/Oregon border. TripCheck has current status of the Interstate.

A Red Flag Warning is in effect for the Medford area Tuesday night and Wednesday. The wind direction in Medford will be variable Tuesday night at 3 to 5 mph with the humidity in the teens. On Wednesday the wind will increase at 11 a.m. from the southeast at 15 mph gusting to 23 while the humidity decreases to 7 percent. Wednesday’s high temperature will be 100.

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Author: Bill Gabbert

After working full time in wildland fire for 33 years, he continues to learn, and strives to be a Student of Fire.

67 thoughts on “Glendower Fire (aka Almeda Fire) burns toward Medford, Oregon”

  1. This should put an end to all this, but it won’t…

    “It appears the rumor began with a doctored Facebook post from the Medford Police Department Wednesday, claiming arrests were made in connection with a string of fires.

    The rumor appeared to have taken a life of its own in nearby Douglas County, where the sheriff’s office reported the county’s 911 dispatchers were “being overrun with requests for information and inquiries” on the unsubstantiated arson and arrests.

    This is a made up graphic and story. We did not arrest this person for arson, nor anyone affiliated with Antifa or…
    Posted by Medford Police on Wednesday, September 9, 2020″

    “THIS IS NOT TRUE! Unfortunately, people are spreading this rumor and it is causing problems,” the sheriff’s office wrote. “Do your part, STOP. SPREADING. RUMORS! Follow official sources of information such as local emergency response websites and pages, government websites and pages and local reputable news outlets.”

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  2. Every year will continue to be “the worst fire year ever” with climate chsnge continuing. It makes normal natural disasters way more catostrophic.

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  3. Hey people of Medford, Courage up!! I love your town and I have visited family there for years. My elderly parents near Phoenix just made it out in time. My thoughts to all your neighbors suffering major disruption and loss of place. I see a lot of comments trying to take the focus off caring for people, even suggestions that people are lighting fires that are already going!! Rather than unsubstantiated finger pointing, political discourse might take us to the roots – what is causing peak extreme weather, in this wealthy land why there’s an increasing population of folks living on the verge – homeless or in substandard housing, why mental health programs are being defunded, who wins and who looses in unbridled development..??? That is ‘political’= of the people. Not kicking someone who can not fight back. Always the sinister suggestions are aimed at vulnerable “others”. Some would suggest they be swept away because caring for the most vulnerable requires us to think and do what we can do. That can be painful when we are mostly doing only what we want to do. I live in a midwest city with its own BLM, environmental chaos and poverty challenges writ large. I work towards having my hometown care about the basics for ALL its people and especially the most vulnerable. Please do the same. It is the only way. Keep going. You are all in my prayers.

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  4. For now, can we just help each other.
    We can debate “stuff” later.

    Wildfires don’t really care how you vote ;
    or what color your hide is ;
    or if you believe in God, Satan, Allah, Buddha, Charlie Brown, or Santa.

    Wildfires simply take the Life & Property of ANYONE, and turn it into ashes.

    In the end ; soon hopefully ; we’ll all know more and can get back to being AMERICANS.

    “Land Of The Free & Home Of The Brave”.
    Were lucky people.

    Please help others in need if you can.

    Big Thanks to ALL who put life&limb ON THE LINE for others.

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  5. My thoughts and prayers to all impacted by these fires. What concerns me the most is that this wave of fires happened during a very dry and hot Labor Day weekend, coupled with high winds, and human activity. Collectively we as a whole need to take better precautions and ensure that our homes and neighborhoods are better prepared for these kinds of conditions.

    No, I am not saying we were not prepared at all, but even in my area out here in the East side of the Cascades there are still lots of communities that can be giant tinderboxes. Scientifically speaking, do the suggested defensible spaces do what are intended? I have enclosed a link below:

    https://www.readyforwildfire.org/prepare-for-wildfire/get-ready/defensible-space/

    How can this apply to the suburbs?

    On the flip side, it just seems like 2020 keeps on driving stakes into the heart of humanity. We can rebuild the homes, but we can only pray that there are minimal casualties.

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  7. Anyone know about the Mountain View Estates mobile home park in Talent? My elderly sister lives/lived there and I’m trying to assess the situation. Thanks!

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    1. My grandparents house was totaled about a 1/2 mile north of the location you mentioned. Hearing reports, it seems as if anything that was between highway 99 and the interstate is burned down between north Ashland and south stage rd/99 intersection. The fire has also traveled further to the west of highway 99.

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  8. Thank you for posting the map of the Holiday Farm Fire. The smoke is thick in Eugene and ash is raining like light snow. We are well out of danger but it is a relief to see where the fire is. There are no maps on InciWeb or State/Local gov sites yet. Your maps and graphics are the best! Keep up the good work.

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  9. I just saw a bit about the Archie Creek fire near Glide, Oregon. That fire apparently grew 72,000 acres in about 12 hours if the report was correct. That’s an astonishing growth rate even in extreme conditions.

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  10. Is there a link to a zoomable version of the map provided? The pictures provided are too high-level to help property owners gauge the situation.

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  11. Fox is not lying I heard it on the scanner too. Police arrested about 5 people last night for arson.

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    1. I was listening too and I heard one possible sighting of an arsonist. No one is in jackson county jail for arson last night. Will look again.

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    2. Arson can simply be someone dragging a tail pipe, or flicking a cigarette. It is probably not the origin of the fire. But there are tweakers and crazies out there who saw the opportunity to cause chaos.
      An anarchist has no reason to burn down a small community and forest, what’s the motivation here. I also listened to the scanner all night. There was one guy in Medford by the mall that they had a report it looked like he started a Grass fire. This homeless person was definitely not in Ashland at the water treatment plant where it started. Tweakers are not organized enough for that. Come on

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      1. If you’re going to play political cop, please get your facts straight. State, country and federal governments PAY for fire suppression. And this is the definition of arson:

        ar·son:
        noun: the criminal act of deliberately setting fire to property

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    1. I’m looking for the same info. My sister lives at Medford Estates and has no idea if her place is gone. I’d appreciate any news.

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    2. Good morning, I’m sure you’ve heard by now, that the park was 90% destroyed. (Unconfirmed)
      My sister is trying to see the park and look for her cats. They ran outside while she was evacuation.

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  12. I was evacuated tues. I have for the last few weeks been helping a friend save his home (a short bus) it was scheduled to get towed today however now I am having to shelter in it due to the fact that I may not have a home to go to I do not know yet. Please if anyone out there actually truly give a stink about a home or human life an may want to help for me it would be greatly appreciated an I feel the right thing to do ! Thank you . God bless us all . Brett

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  13. Can we please cool it with the “Political Fox News“ stuff. We have Had at least two shelter deployments already Our bothers and sisters lives are on the line out there They need our prayers and good intentions.

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  14. Listening to the police scanners & the police are saying people started these fires around town. New ones are being started around 1130 pm in Central Medford

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    1. Rioters? Anarchists? If so, utilize full extent of the law to investigate, arrest, then prosecute. Law and order: can’t have order and protect the city without enforcing the law. Thank you to all first responders, police, firefighters working so hard serving us.

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      1. “Fox” is posting made-up bulls**t, probably thinks he is being terribly amusing. There’s no fact behind it. We don’t need this right now!

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        1. 5 people arrested already… Don’t be so blind. This is horrible and those people should be punished. Just think about it. Wait until the highest winds of the year and start fires. simple and easy… pay attention

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          1. I must redact this statement. These are investigations, no arrests in Medford only investigations on reports. Elias Pendegrass from Eugene was arrested for the sweet creek fires. check the lane county sheriff Facebook page.

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          2. What’s the motivation here? if you had been paying attention at all you would know that just a few months ago there was an arsonist arrested for a series of Bear Creek fires. He was a schizophrenic homeless guy, and in no way was it political. so let’s just stop the b******* there are no anarchist starting wildfires there’s no motivation there anarchists don’t hate the environment or hate people in fact it’s the opposite they hate the government and starting a wildfire does nothing to hurt the government.

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            1. Fires cost the government millions of dollars every year. Who do you think pays for fire suppression on public lands? I fought dozens of fires and was paid by the Federal government and even the State Government.

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            2. Michael, as a terrified and very saddened Oregonian and Democratic AMERICAN, I truly appreciate your calm and sensible mediation in this feed.

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      2. Homeless people in the Greenway made campfires for heating their food. The winds spread the embers.

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        1. It started at the Ashland water treatment plant I thought. I think it started from faulty equipment maybe. Though I heard reports of one guy starting a fire on the scanner. Probably just an opportunist on meth.

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      3. WTF! Why would you assume such a thing? There are wildfires in Oregon EVERY SINGLE SUMMER. This fire started from the high winds blowing down a tree branch onto a power line which caused sparks which ignited the very dry brush/grass. Why would you bring politics and division into such an already terrifying and life changing event. Get your priorities straight!!

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        1. Nobody is bringing politics or division. Some people are smart & are listening to police scanners. There’s no politics in any of this. There are numerous fires, some may have started naturally but numerous were arson. Some started by the homeless camps, we don’t know why. This is when being a community matters.. I see no division or politics in this Julie T. If you change the way you look at things; everything changes. If you choose to see negativity your life will be full of BS & bad views! I think it’s great the community is posting what they see & hear around town & on the police scanners. The collective information can be more valuable than the news in my opinion. Everyone stay safe out there

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          1. First, arresting people suspected is one thing. Great. No police report you hear over the scanner is going to call out anything other than factual issues related to an arrest. Suspects are INNOCENT until proven guilty. A cop calling someone arrested ANTIFA could jeopardize any future action or indictment.

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          1. It’s because of the wind and the temps. Last night I heard of one guy that someone thought maybe was intentionally lighting a fire, one guy in a drag dragging a tail pipe be the had to evacuate, and another on a diet bike with no spark arrestor. Arson can be intentional or accidentally. I’ve been charged with arson for a firework accident. So I know. Embers can travel miles in the right conditions, and last night was the perfect storm. Please let’s keep just this one thing non political.

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          2. Exactly. I am a native Oregonian senior citizen. I have never witnesses 42 fires starting within 48 hours of each other.

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            1. The reporting from late August was that in Oregon DOZENS of fires were started by lightening in a 24 hour time frame. Dozens means from 24 to infinity. Meanwhile, in Cali in a 72 hour time frame more than 560 lightening fire were reported. Deal in facts, if that’s the least bit possible any more, instead of childish rumor and gossip.

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          3. The reporting from late August was that in Oregon DOZENS of fires were started by lightening in a 24 hour time frame. Dozens means from 24 to infinity. Meanwhile, in Cali in a 72 hour time frame more than 560 lightening fire were reported. Deal in facts, if that’s the least bit possible any more, instead of childish rumor and gossip.

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        2. Nbc16 news Julie just do your research police are actively looking for people in different areas who are purposely trying to start fires

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      4. Where are they keeping these 5 arsonists? I dont see them in the Jackson county jail. I have been listening to the scanner too

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        1. Arson.
          Can mean anything from intentionally setting a fire to driving a car with a low bumper sparking, or even tossing a cigarette.

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        2. my understanding is that there are no persons being held, yet there are a lot of rumors about that are unsubstantiated. If you view the Medford police facebook page they will specifically point out a story that there is someone in custody as false.

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      5. Just had to add some political rhetoric in there. The last arsonist a few months ago was just a crazy/methed out homeless dude. Stop spewing political speech and let’s come together as a community. Political affiliation does not matter now. We are all Americans. Even if you are an anarchist, or a capitalist, christian or atheist. None of matters.

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