Almeda Drive Fire

Almeda Drive Fire
Part of the 2020 Oregon wildfires
Almeda Drive Fire smoke plume from Interstate 5
Date(s)	September 8 (8-09) – September 15, 2020 (2020-09-15) (7 days)
Location	Jackson County, Oregon
Coordinates	42°12′43″N122°42′51″W / 42.2120°N 122.7141°W / 42.2120; -122.7141
Statistics
Burned area	3,200 acres (1,295 ha; 5 sq mi; 13 km2)
Impacts
Deaths	3
Structures destroyed	3,000+
Ignition
Cause	Human origin
Map
Location in Southern Oregon

The Almeda Drive Fire was a devastating wildfire in Jackson County, Oregon. The fire started on September 8, 2020 near Ashland, Oregon and was deemed to be of human origin. ^[1]

Prior to the fire, most of the Pacific Northwest, including all of Oregon, was under drought conditions by spring due to below-average precipitation in the months prior. ^[2]

The fire started behind Almeda Drive on September 8, 2020, at 11:07 AM. ^{[3] [4]} Within two hours, the fire had reached the south part of Talent, and four hours after it started, it was burning in Phoenix. ^[5] Wind gusts of 40–45 miles (64–72 km) and severe drought conditions contributed to the rapid spread. ^[6] The fire was contained by September 15, 2020. ^[7] The burn area was 3,200 acres (13 km²), ^[8] and over 3,000 structures were destroyed. ^[9]

See also

• List of Oregon wildfires

References

1. Etling, Bert (September 7, 2022). "Two years later, Almeda Fire remains under investigation". Ashland News. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
2. Lindsey, Rebecca (May 26, 2020). "Drought emerges across the Pacific Northwest in spring 2020". Climate.gov . Retrieved August 13, 2025.
3. Dohrmann, Sharon (June 28, 2025). "Ashland Wasn't Built with Wildfire in Mind — It's Time to Adapt". Ashland Climate Collaborative. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
4. NewsWatch 12 (September 9, 2021). Radio calls tell the story of the Almeda Fire's first desperate hours (Video). Retrieved August 12, 2025– via YouTube.
5. Nauman, Rich (October 9, 2020). "Mapping the Almeda Drive Fire". ArcGIS Blog. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
6. Bernton, Hal (October 4, 2020). "Urban wildfire: When homes are the fuel for a runaway blaze, how do you rebuild a safer community?". The Seattle Times . Retrieved February 14, 2026.
7. "Almeda fire 100% contained, officials say Tuesday". The Oregonian . September 15, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
8. O'Connor, Erin Patrick (October 20, 2020). "12 hours inside Oregon's Almeda Fire". Washington Post. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
9. Neumann, Erik; Moriarty, Liam (September 20, 2020). "The Almeda Drive Fire Causes Extensive Damage To Talent and Phoenix". Jefferson Public Radio . Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.