On August 24, 2010, a fast-moving fire consumed an entire neighborhood in one of the worst urban blazes in Oregon history. The Ashland Oak Knoll fire was started when John Thiry, a homeless man, tossed a cigarette into a field of dry grass. Medford Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Mark Burns died six months after the fire after suffering servere smoke inhalation. The fire led Ashland Fire Rescue to redevelop its wildfire hotline, which was overloaded during the fire, to handle more calls. And Ashland created its first Firewise communities in 2011and now has 24 within city limits. pp 16 - 20
Location
979.527 M3, Our Valley, 2017
Source Reference