The Courier
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August 28 Volume 37 ~ Number 35 News from the Heart of Idaho Camas • Lincoln • Gooding
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Wildfire Idaho Fires Large & Small Resources
This last month has been a smoky one with large and small fires. Lightning storms were the main cause of nearly all of the current fires in Southern Idaho. Lincoln County was hit with three fires totaling almost 10,000 acres. The Millerd Fire, southeast of Shoshone, was the smallest at 700 acres. Seven miles southeast of Richfield, the Black Ridge fire blackened 1400 acres. The Brown Butte fire (along Highway 93 between Shoshone and Richfield) was human caused and took out over 7000 acres. All of these fires are out or fully contained. Camas County also had three fires, but shared the biggest one with Blaine County. The Beaver Creek is 95% contained at 112,000 acres. Fir Grove torched 7100 acres, while the McCan fire topped out at 24,000. In Elmore County the Elk Complex fire is 95% con-
The Idaho Dept. of Agriculture and NRCS have announced that there are resources available for ranchers burned out by our recent wildfires. Applications must be in by August 30th, so please act quickly if you need these resources. For more information, please contact: John Biar (208)332-8566 john.biar@ agri.idaho.gov or NRCS at (208)378-5700, or you may visit the following for more information: www.nrcs.usda. gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/id/ home or www.agri.state.id.us –––––
tained, while the Pony Complex fire is 100% contained. Between these two fires, 280,000 acres of forest and rangeland were burned. The real damage, however, from the Elk and Pony fires, was the loss of nearly 90 structures, half of which were homes belonging friends and neighbors. The remaining structures that burned were outbuilding and travel trailers. A number of vehicles were lost as well.
North of the Pine/Featherville area, the town of Atlanta is under mandatory evacuation from the Little Queens fire which continues to grow. Five miles of control line have been established north and west of Atlanta to protect the town from this 24,000 plus acre fire which at 15% containment. The cause is still under investigation. –––––– Photos: Top and center-right photos, before and after of the Jack Rice Cabin at Fall Creek. Left photo of burned truck is from InciWeb.org
Fairfield: Capital For A Day
August 28th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Fairfield Senior Center
The Wood River RC&D is combining forces with the National Association of Resource Conservation & Development Councils (NARC&DC), and the International Code Council (ICC) to combat wild fires in the Wildland/Urban Interface (WUI). The two national organizations, working with Wood River RC&D, local, state and regional officials to give areas located along the edges of Idaho’s Wildlands the tools needed to save lives and property from wildfires. The effort, funded through a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Fire Prevention and Safety Grant, aims to establish training and workshops that help reduce continued on page 4.....