Mt. Nebo Wildland Fire Scorches Four Acres; Drone Use Grounds Aerial Response
An estimated four-acre wildland fire ignited on Mt. Nebo near I-5 milepost 124 at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. DFPA, Roseburg Fire, and Central Douglas crews attacked by ground and air until drone interference grounded aircraft. By 9:57 p.m., 50% of the perimeter was trailed.
Roseburg, OR - An estimated four-acre wildland fire broke out on the slopes of Mt. Nebo just west of Interstate 5 near milepost 124 at approximately 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Firefighters from the Douglas Forest Protective Association (DFPA), Roseburg Fire Department (RFD), Central Douglas Fire & Rescue and other local agencies immediately responded, establishing ground and air attack lines in steep, rocky terrain.
Initial Response (8:44 p.m.)
By 8:44 p.m., ground crews and helicopters had made initial containment efforts. Pacific Power preemptively shut down the electrical feed to its Mt. Nebo tower - potentially affecting power and cell service for area residents and communications infrastructure. No evacuations have been ordered, but motorists are urged to avoid southbound I-5 in the fire zone. With Douglas County under high fire-danger restrictions, officials remind the public to adhere to all current fire limitations.
Aerial Resources Grounded (9:15 p.m.)
All air operations were forced to stand down when an unauthorized drone was spotted flying over the incident. “IF YOU FLY, WE CAN’T,” officials warned. Federal, state and local wildland fire agencies - and the Federal Aviation Administration - stress that unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) pose serious safety risks to firefighters and hinder suppression efforts. Flying a drone over an active wildfire may violate multiple federal, state or local laws and carry civil penalties up to $25,000 or criminal prosecution.
Overnight Containment (9:57 p.m.)
By night’s end, crews reported they had “trailed” 50 percent of the fire’s perimeter - completing hand lines down to the freeway at the south flank and securing all other sides. Multiple wildland firefighters remained on scene overnight, conducting mop-up operations in challenging terrain. Smoke will continue to be visible from I-5 throughout Friday.
Incident Command Transition & Next Steps
Command of the fire has officially transferred to the DFPA, which will remain on site through overnight operations. The DFPA and RFD plan to issue a joint press release this morning (Friday) with a full status update. Roseburg Fire Department will continue to share real-time progress via its official channels as conditions evolve.
Key Reminders:
- Location: Mt. Nebo wildland fire, I-5 milepost 124, Roseburg
- Size: ~4 acres
- Evacuations: None at this time
- Power/Comm: Pacific Power tower feed shut off; possible local outages
- Drone Warning: Unauthorized UAS grounded all air support, penalties up to $25,000
- Watch Duty: https://app.watchduty.org/i/58056
- Distant Live Stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGk8i94wgko
For ongoing updates, follow the Roseburg Fire Department’s social media or visit their website. Smoke conditions may persist; please plan travel accordingly and adhere to all fire restrictions.
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