Oak Knoll fire

This view of 897-805 Oak Knoll Drive, from left, was assembled from photos shot the afternoon of Aug. 17, 2011.

This view of 897-805 Oak Knoll Drive, from left, was assembled from photos shot the morning of Aug. 25, 2010. The plus signs link to supplemental information and photos.

Latest stories

Rising from the ashes - 8/21/2011
Every morning, Rick Ogier leaves his new house and takes his dogs on a walk through the Oak Knoll...
Changes have been made in Ashland after Oak Knoll fire - 8/21/2011
ASHLAND — Five acres of dried-out weeds — chest deep in some spots — wave in the...
Funds aid Oak Knoll fire victims - 5/31/2011
ASHLAND — Donations totaling $35,600 were divided and distributed to Oak Knoll fire victims...
Firefighters honored for Oak Knoll work - 5/17/2011
Three Medford firefighters and one Ashland firefighter have received unit citations from the Oregon...
Ashland OKs taller wall for Oak Knoll fire victims - 4/14/2011
ASHLAND — Victims of August's Oak Knoll fire can build an 8-foot concrete wall behind their...
Thiry back in jail - 3/17/2011
The homeless man acquitted in the Oak Knoll fire is back in jail on a probation violation after...
What do we do with John Thiry? - 1/30/2011
As the Ashland homeless man acquitted in the Oak Knoll fire case was about to be released from jail...
Thiry indicted on felony charge - 1/26/2011
The homeless man acquitted in the Oak Knoll fire case was indicted by a Jackson County grand jury...
Man tied to Oak Knoll fire faces new charges - 1/25/2011
ASHLAND — The homeless man accused of starting August's Oak Knoll fire is back in jail after...
Oak Knoll fire victims object to fees - 1/7/2011
ASHLAND — An Oak Knoll fire victim has asked Mayor John Stromberg to look into refunding some...
Homes rise from Oak Knoll ashes - 1/4/2011
Scraping snow from the foundation of one of the homes he's rebuilding on Oak Knoll Drive, Dan...
No fire wall built along interstate, ODOT says - 1/4/2011
The Oregon Department of Transportation will not build a fire wall between Interstate 5 and the Oak...
Oak Knoll fire defendant found not guilty - 12/11/2010
Ahomeless man accused of starting the devastating Oak Knoll fire is free and headed back to Ashland...
Decision fails to provide closure for Ashland fire victims - 12/11/2010
Ashland residents who lost their homes in the Oak Knoll fire expressed shock and sadness at news...
Oak Knoll defendant offered hazy account of fire - 12/10/2010
The prosecution rested its case Thursday after playing a taped interview with John Thiry, a...
Oak Knoll testimony recounts fire's origin - 12/8/2010
John David Thiry tried to stamp out the fire he started, but when it raced out of control, he and...
Oak Knoll residents come back to rebuild - 11/18/2010
ASHLAND — The wooden skeleton of a new house is rising above a burned lot at 897 Oak Knoll...
Oak Knoll fire suspect's trial suspended - 10/14/2010
The trial of a homeless man accused of starting a fire that burned 11 homes in Ashland in August...
Ashland addresses emergency system weaknesses - 10/5/2010
ASHLAND — As soon as Brita Hazell noticed 20-foot flames lurching above homes in her...
Oak Knoll demolition gets under way - 9/28/2010
ASHLAND — Stirring up clouds of black ash, Dan Thomas used an excavator Friday to demolish...
Residents must act to keep Ashland safe - 9/20/2010
Ashland Fire & Rescue Chief John Karns plans to propose new restrictions on flammable construction...
Report suggests different staffing arrangement during emergencies - 9/20/2010
Even as a third-party report praised the city for its response to the Oak Knoll fire, it also...
Oak Knoll Firefight: Learning under duress - 9/18/2010
Athird-party assessment of the Oak Knoll fire praised Ashland Fire & Rescue's coordination of...
Oak Knoll firefight: Quick response saved lives - 9/17/2010
Assoon as Dena Adame turned onto Oak Knoll Drive that afternoon, she realized something was wrong.
Oak Knoll Firefight: One home, one chance to stop advancing blaze - 9/17/2010
With several houses already engulfed in flames on Oak Knoll Drive, Ashland Fire & Rescue Chief John...
Video: Oak Knoll fire evacuation - 9/17/2010
The evacuation of the 800 and 900 block of Oak Knoll Drive captured by Ashland Police Officer Steve...
Ashland increases call capacity for emergency hot line - 9/13/2010
The city of Ashland hopes to more than quadruple the number of phone calls its emergency hot line...
Ashland fire raises fears of transient camps - 9/13/2010
ASHLAND — The Oak Knoll fire has reignited concern about a proposed rest area and welcome...
Fire provokes new concerns over welcome center - 9/10/2010
Ashland's Oak Knoll fire has reignited concerns about a proposed rest area and welcome center south...
Oak Knoll blaze demonstrates advantages of second firehouse - 9/10/2010
ASHLAND — The Oak Knoll fire in southeast Ashland has highlighted the importance of Fire...
Ashland might waive some fees for fire victims - 9/9/2010
ASHLAND — The city is likely to waive some planning fees for people who have to rebuild their...
Ashland neighborhood blaze could have been worse - 9/3/2010
Ashland Fire & Rescue Chief John Karns revealed more details of last week's fire — noting...
Coping in the fire's aftermath - 9/2/2010
Firefighters have extinguished the Oak Knoll fire and the smoke has cleared over the 11 houses...
Point of origin hard to trace - 9/1/2010
Littered with beer cans and other debris from homeless camps, the scorched area in Ashland where a...
Costs of fighting Ashland blaze continue to mount - 9/1/2010
Ashland emergency crews spent about $17,000 in overtime and extra resources to battle the blaze on...
A field of junk after the fire - 8/31/2010
ASHLAND — Ron Rezek has worried for years about oil drums and a ramshackle barn to the north...
City has few resources to aid the homeless - 8/31/2010
ASHLAND — A few hours before police say a transient accidentally set a fire that ripped...
Rogue Valley on high alert - 8/28/2010
Firefighters on hair-trigger alert after 11 homes were destroyed Tuesday afternoon in Ashland threw...
Music of the Heart - 8/28/2010
After losing his Ashland home, his guitars and his musical recordings, the beat still goes on for...
Elements worked against fire responders - 8/27/2010
Firefighters dumped up to 2,000 gallons a minute from hydrants, but didn't have the manpower, water...
Weather, landscape helped fuel blaze - 8/27/2010
An inferno that destroyed 11 houses in a row Tuesday afternoon in Ashland is a grim reminder that...
Homeowners can fight fires — before they start - 8/27/2010
In the heat of the battle against the Oak Knoll fire Tuesday evening, veteran wildlands firefighter...
How you can help victims of Ashland's Oak Knoll fire - 8/27/2010
Firehouse 5 Foundation is collecting monetary donations at Ashland Fire Station 1, 455 Siskiyou...
Ashland fire likely worst in 100 years - 8/26/2010
Clarence Patterson stood in flip-flops on a charred wall of his house, shaking his head over a fire...
Questions remain about Oak Knoll fire's spread - 8/26/2010
Ashland police believe a 40-year-old homeless man with a record of felony burglary, menacing and...
Homeless man faces charges for starting fire - 8/26/2010
If you are a regular Bi-Mart shopper, chances are you've seen John David Thiry holding a cardboard...
Community rallies behind fire victims - 8/26/2010
Moved with compassion for the 11 families who lost their homes in the Oak Knoll fire Tuesday, the...
Swamped Ashland hotline comes under fire - 8/26/2010
Concerned residents overloaded the city's wildfire hotline as the Oak Knoll fire incinerated 11...
As his own house burned, Ashland police officer helped others - 8/26/2010
Officer Jason Daoust of the Ashland Police Department was directing traffic on Oak Knoll Drive in...
Chaos of fire led to Ashland communication breakdown - 8/25/2010
Concerned residents overloaded the city's wildfire hotline as the Oak Knoll fire incinerated 11...

Oak Knoll fire: A fire that started in grass the afternoon of Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010 quickly destroyed 11 homes and damaged several others in Ashland's Oak Knoll subdivision before it was controlled by firefighters that night. A homeless man was arrested and charged with crimes in connection with the damage.

Fire Response Timeline

4:35 p.m. � Jackson County Fire District No. 5 receives call to put out a fire at 615 Washington St.
4:36 p.m. � 9-1-1 call comes in for grass fire at 2380 Ashland St., structures threatened
4:37 p.m. � Ashland police are dispatched
4:38 p.m. � Oregon Department of Forestry engines arrive on scene at Washington Street
4:39 p.m. � First Ashland fire engine rolls out
4:40 p.m. � U.S. Forest Service Engine 12 on scene
4:41 p.m. � Ashland Fire & Rescue Engine 8802 on scene, reporting � -acre fire on both sides of Washington Street
4:43 p.m. � Ashland Fire Shift Capt. David Shepherd arrives at Washington and Jefferson streets
4:45 p.m. � Fire District 5 engines arrive on Washington Street
4:47 p.m. � Ashland Police Department reports fire jumped freeway
4:48 p.m. � City employees begin evacuating homes
4:52 p.m. � Fire District 5 engines are transferred to Oak Knoll
4:53 p.m. � Units are dispatched to Oak Knoll, report of four structures on fire
4:54 p.m. � Oak Knoll command is established, and fire is being managed as two fires
4:56 p.m. � Structural Strike Team is requested
4:56 p.m. � Fire District 5 engines arrive at Oak Knoll
5:01 p.m. � Command reports seven structures involved, engines 8851 and 8301 on scene
5:09 p.m. � Report comes in that 740 W. Pebble Beach�s yard on fire
6 p.m. � Washington Street fire is contained
8:30 p.m. � Oak Knoll fire is contained

� Source: Ashland Fire & Rescue

Fire Response Resources

Ashland Fire & Rescue staffing that day � 7
Agencies responding to the fire � 16
Fire engines � 38
Fire command vehicles � 21
Aircraft � 3 helicopters , 1 Air Tac Airplane
Firefighters and command staff � 135
Other responders: Ashland Community Emergency Response Team volunteers, Ashland police, Jackson County Sheriff�s Department, sheriff�s Search and Rescue, Ashland Public Works

� Source: Ashland Fire & Rescue