Ashland fire: 11 homes burned, 5 more condemned, 3 have roof damage; transient arrested

ASHLAND, Ore. -- An Ashland transient has been arrested on charges of sparking a fire in Ashland that burned a field and went on to jump the interstate in stiff winds, torching 11 homes and other structures Tuesday evening, according to Ashland police.

John David Thiry, 40, is being held on $88,000 bail on 11 counts each of endangering and reckless burning. Police believe he was intoxicated at the time the fires started and did not intentionally set the fire. Thiry was arrested at 3 AM after police found him under the Interstate 5 overpass near the fire. Images of Thiry after his arrest show him with patches of hair missing from his beard and head, but police say he was not burned in the fire.

Firefighters continued dousing hotspots Wednesday morning from a fast-moving fire that first torched a field, barn and a trailer on the west side of Interstate 5 in south Ashland, before flames erupted to the east, burning 11 homes and damaging several others.

The final tally released by the city of Ashland includes 11 homes burned completely, 5 homes condemned because of extensive damage -- all 16 on Oak Knoll Drive -- and three homes on Pebble Beach Drive suffering roof damage. Another home on that street suffered damage to its landscaping.

Firefighters hoped to snuff the fire's remaining hotspots before stiff winds and plus-100 temperatures return to the area Wednesday.

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IMAGE GALLERY: Photos from the fire

HELP LINE FOR FIRE VICTIMS: 541-779-3773

FUND SET UP: To help victims of this fire, donations can be made at any U.S. Bank branch to the account named "Ashland Fire Victim Fund."

DONATIONS: The City of Ashland is directing donations to Fire Station 1, located at 455 Siskiyou Blvd, between 8 AM and 5 PM Monday through Friday. They are asking for cash, check or gift cards; they cannot accept items at this time.

The first fire broke out in a field off Washington Street shortly before 5 PM Tuesday on the southwest section of the south Ashland interchange, burning a trailer and a barn. While fighting that 6-acre fire, firefighters noticed flames in the Oak Knoll subdivision on the other side of I-5, where it remained uncontained as of 7:30 PM. Firefighters were able to get it under control by 8:30 PM.

Fire officials now believe the first fire on the west side of I-5 ignited the second fire on the east side due to stiff winds blowing embers across the freeway. Winds at that time were gusty and the fire burned in scrub and oak up a hill east of I-5, and into the residential area, according to Oregon Department of Forestry.

A shelter for evacuated residents was set up at The Grove at 1195 E. Main St. in Ashland. No injuries were reported in either fire.

Fire District 3 Fire Marshal Margueritte Hickman said stiff winds fanned the flames and caused the fire to spread quickly after it first started. One structure in particular proved difficult to douse, she said.

Firefighters issued evacuation orders for residents on Oak Knoll Drive between both Twin Pines, Cypress Point Loop, Pebble Beach and St. Andrews. They asked residents and onlookers to stay out of the area as firefighters work to snuff the fire.

Oregon Department of Transportation shut down the southbound on-ramp to Interstate 5 at the south Ashland exit but it re-opened by about 6:30 PM.

Several fire engines and two helicopters and dozens of firefighters from as far away as Grants Pass were battling the fire. Oak Knoll Golf Course is Ashland's municipal golf course.

Firefighters are investigating the cause of both fires.