BRIEFLY.

Byline: The Register-Guard

REGION

Blaze near Blue River

continues to burn

Firefighters continue to battle a stubborn, lightning-sparked fire near Blue River, a Willamette National Forest spokeswoman said.

The 3-acre blaze, about four miles north of Blue River, was the largest of seven small fires in the Willamette National Forest, said Forest Service spokeswoman Kathy Fletcher.

A 10-person crew, with three trucks and a helicopter, had a line around 90 percent of the fire as of Saturday night. Crews will be out again today, Fletcher said.

Six other lightning-caused fires, either involving a single tree or no more than a quarter-acre, were either contained or controlled, Fletcher said.

Thunderstorms accompanied by spotty rain produced nearly 1,500 lightning strikes in Oregon and Washington between 8 a.m. Thursday and 8 a.m. Friday, according to the Northwest Fire Coordination Center in Portland.

NORTHWEST

Eugene residents injured in crash that kills woman

A woman and a boy from Eugene were injured Saturday in a crash that killed a Cave Junction woman near the Oregon-California border.

Thomas Halvorson, 11, of Eugene was taken by helicopter to Providence Hospital in Medford with serious injuries, the Oregon State Police reported. He was listed in stable condition. Susan Halvorson, 49, of Eugene was taken by ambulance to Three Rivers Community Hospital in Grants Pass. Her condition was not available.

The Halvorsons were passengers in a Ford Explorer headed south on Highway 199 about 3:30 p.m. when a northbound Mercury Sable crossed the center line for unknown reasons and hit the SUV head-on, police said.

The driver of the Mercury, Joan Miller Norman, 72, of Cave Junction was pronounced dead at the scene. Her 28-year-old passenger, Benjamin Tolle, was not injured.

The driver of the Explorer, 20-year-old Michael Derek Halvorson of Cave Junction, was not injured, nor was his other passenger, Kaylie Miille, 18, of Cave Junction.

Everyone involved in the accident was wearing a seat belt. Highway 199 was closed for several hours.