Mother Nature has put the fire season dead out in Jackson and Josephine counties.

Sunday’s soaking prompted the Oregon Department of Forestry on Monday to declare the unexpectedly mild 2004 season over.

Both Medford and Grants Pass received nearly a half inch of rain on Sunday. Heavier rainfall reportedly fell in the foothills while snow was recorded in the high elevations.

And showers are expected in the region through Sunday, according to the National Weather Service office at the Medford airport.

"It was an excellent summer from our standpoint," said Brian Ballou, spokesman for the ODF’s Southwest Oregon District.

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In fact, only 389 acres burned in the two counties as the result of human-caused wildfires, well below the 1,500-acre annual average for the area, according to the ODF.

The agency protects private, county, state and U.S. Bureau of Land Management property from wildfires.

There were a total of 180 human-caused fires in the two-county area this past fire season, about 97 percent of average.

The 21 lightning fires in the district were well below the 10-year average of 75 fires.

This year’s fire season, which began June 4, lasted 137 days. The average is 143 days.

The largest fire burned only 188 acres in the Illinois Valley.

"It moved very fast but we were real fortunate — we had air tankers and the hardware necessary to take care of it," Ballou said of the fire near Cave Junction.

He was referring to the fact the state Legislature had approved emergency funding to place two contracted air tankers and additional helicopters around the state after the U.S. Forest Service canceled its air tanker contracts until the tanker squadron could be inspected for safety reasons.

The aircraft stationed at the Medford air tanker base responded to 16 fires, helping to keep them in check, officials said.

However, it was a combined effort that created a low-fire season, said district forester Jeff Schwanke.

"In addition to the reduced number of fires, fast action by firefighters, great assistance from our cooperators and the timber industry and legislative funding to base an air tanker at Medford played key roles in averting disaster," he said in a prepared statement.

With the end of fire season, the annual burn season begins.

However, local residents must first check with their local fire district or fire department to determine if there are any restrictions or if a burn permit is needed,

To determine if it is a burn day, they must call 776-7007 in Jackson County or 476-9663 in Josephine County.

No open burning is allowed in Jackson County’s Air Quality Maintenance Area from Nov. 1 through the end of February. Open and barrel burning is prohibited year-round in Medford and Jacksonville.

Although fire season has ended, Ballou warns those who are doing any open burning to use caution. They should clear an area around the burn site and have a hose and shovel handy.

"It won’t take very long after this period of rain, if we get a couple of dry days, to start having grass fires again," he said.

Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at pfattig@mailtribune.com