Residents who evacuated because of a grass fire in the southern Oregon city of Medford have begun returning to their homes.
The wind-driven Deer Ridge fire prompted authorities to advise residents of about 100 homes to evacuate. By Monday night, the fire had burned about 600 acres.
The Medford Mail Tribune reports some Medford residents began returning to their homes around 9 p.m. after the fire burned past. Electricity to about 25,000 Pacific Power customers in the area was restored Monday night after being knocked out for several hours.
Meanwhile, Oregon Department of Forestry spokesman Lou Gugliotta says the winds have died down at a 100-acre grass fire in nearby Ashland, where officials recommended that residents of some 100 homes evacuate. That blaze destroyed one house.
Gov. Ted Kulongoski on Monday invoked an emergency provision to free up state firefighting resources to battle the fires.
Source: AP News
