CENTRAL POINT, Ore. -- The Oregon Department of Forestry's Detection Center lets ODF monitor almost all parts of Jackson and Josephine Counties.
These cameras are especially important to help monitor lightning strikes, just like the one that caused the Little Applegate Fire.
The detection center is pretty high tech. Cameras in the center can give ODF an estimated location of where a lightning strike happened. Additionally, they can zoom in and out of an area.
ODF said that lightning can create smoke right away or even a couple of days after the initial strike. That's why the department keeps an eye on the area for at least 48 hours after it happens.
When people at the Detection Center do spot lightning, they report it to dispatch.
