Smoke rises from the Evans Creek Road Fire northeast of Rogue River on Friday, July 10, 2026.
Courtesy of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Firefighting crews in Southern Oregon are working to contain the East Evans Creek Fire, which grew by Sunday evening to an estimated 3,152 acres, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry.
The fire was first reported Friday afternoon after a car crashed into a power pole. Firefighters arrived to find vegetation burning in the area, according to ODF.
ODF said firefighters were able to catch the first two resulting spot fires, but a third spot fire contributed to the wildfire’s rapid growth. Steep terrain and additional spot fires have complicated suppression efforts.
While firefighters were able to suppress some growth of the fire Saturday, a few additional spot fires were found, ODF officials wrote in an update.
Officials said fire crews are focused on strengthening containment lines ahead of difficult fire weather expected this week. That includes high temperatures, strong winds and possible thunderstorms Monday.
All evacuation levels remain in effect, and road closures have expanded to include Antioch Road at the 8-mile marker in addition to East Evans Creek Road at Meadows Road.
An evacuation shelter remains open at Hanby Middle School in Gold Hill, while a livestock shelter is available at the Jackson County Expo for horses and the Josephine County Fairgrounds for other livestock.
Smoke has also limited aircraft operations in parts of the fire area.
Gov. Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act for the fire, her office said in a release Saturday. The executive order allows the state fire marshal to mobilize resources across Oregon to help contain the blaze.
ODF said additional resources have been mobilized, and Incident Management Team 1 is taking command to support the response.
Firefighters are contending with extreme heat, low humidity and steep terrain as they work to slow the fire’s spread. ODF said more updates will be released as conditions change.
This story has been updated.
Maria Carter is a reporter with Jefferson Public Radio.
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