Idaho officials expect elevated wildfire danger to continue through September

Smoke from the Wapiti Fire is visible from the Grandjean overlook on Idaho Highway 21. (Courtesy of Northern Rockies Complex Incident Management Team)

Hot, dry weather led to a significant increase in wildfire activity in Idaho this summer, with an elevated risk for wildfire expected to remain in place through September, state officials told Gov. Brad Little on Tuesday.

During a meeting of the Idaho State Board of Land Commissioners at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise on Tuesday, Idaho Department of Lands Director Dustin Miller told the board that 400,000 acres of land in Idaho have burned this year.

Miller told land board members the department is requesting a total increase of $3 million in next year’s budget to help with wildfire fighting efforts. The department is requesting five new positions and funding for travel, training, vehicle repair, computer equipment, new pickup trucks and other maintenance items.

The land board is expected to meet again in September and discuss pay levels for firefighters.

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“July saw a strong increase in both fire size and frequency,” Miller told Little and other members of the land board.

Miller told the board that the increase in fire size and activity was due in large part to hot, dry conditions.

“Temperatures throughout the state were above average, and we had very little precipitation,” Miller said, warning the board that wildfire danger still persists throughout the state.

“Elevated fire danger is expected throughout Idaho into September,” Miller said.

There are several large fires burning across Idaho, and Miller flagged the Flat Fire for Little and other land board members.

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The Flat Fire started by lighting Aug. 5 and is burning in Boise County outside of Pioneerville, near the town of Idaho City. As of Tuesday, the fire had burned almost 3,600 acres, with containment estimated at 14%.

“The fire is being steered towards the old pioneer burn (area), and right now our folks are working to try to keep that out of the Idaho City community watershed,” Miller said.

Boise National Forest officials have issued several closures due to the Flat Fire and other fires burning in the forest. The latest closures in the Boise National Forest are available online .

Overall, there were 12 large wildfires burning in Idaho as of Tuesday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center .

Little recently visited the sites of two large fires, the Texas Fire and Gwen Fire, and met with Lapwai residents and members of the Nez Perce Tribe who were affected by those fires, Miller said.

Section of Idaho Highway 21 closed due to Wapiti Fire

On Tuesday, officials with the Idaho Transportation Department announced they closed a section of Idaho Highway 21 near Grandjean to the Custer County line due to the Wapiti Fire, which is burning in the Boise National Forest.

The Idaho Highway 21 closure means drivers will not be able to use Idaho Highway 21 to travel between Boise and Stanley. Instead, drivers should use an alternate route through Ketchum using Idaho Highway 75, the Idaho Transportation Department said in a press release issued Tuesday.

There is no estimate for when Idaho Highway 21 will reopen, according to the Idaho Transportation Department.

The Wapiti Fire has burned more than 9,000 acres, with containment estimated at 10% as of Tuesday. There were 178 firefighters fighting the Wapiti Fire on Tuesday using 20 engines, a bulldozer, two water tenders and one “skidgen,” according to the Northern Rockies Team Five incident report . According to the Wapiti Fire report, firefighters are working throughout the day and night to protect structures and buildings in the area, including Sawtooth Lodge in Grandjean. However, crews reported Tuesday an additional structure in the Wapiti summer home area “was lost due to showering embers.”

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