Photo illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios. Photos: Frederic J. Brown, Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
A series of severe lightning storms ignited 72 wildfires in southern Oregon's Jackson and Josephine counties this week.
Driving the news: The fires forced evacuations near Ashland, closed parts of Interstate 5 and prompted Gov. Tina Kotek to invoke the Emergency Conflagration Act, which mobilizes additional resources to battle the blazes.
Threat level: Persistent high temperatures and dry conditions across the state could increase fire risk, officials said. There's also been an uptick in the number of human-caused fires this summer, per OPB.
What they're saying: "The extended forecast is not going to provide any relief," Mariana Ruiz-Temple, the state fire marshal, said in a written release.
"Please pay attention to our critical wildfire conditions and take the necessary steps to prevent sparking a human-caused fire."
