Willow Creek Fire
contained
Mop-up to conclude
this week
By GREG
STAHL
Express Staff Writer
With cool,
moist weather aiding suppression efforts, firefighters successfully
contained the 18,000-acre Willow Creek Fire Friday afternoon.
The fire
ripped through sage and some timber between Fairfield and Hailey between
Labor Day and Friday, Sept. 7. It allegedly began as a garbage fire
contained in a 55-gallong drum, but fire managers said the cause is still
under investigation.
The
Willow Creek Bridge was one of two structures burned by the Willow
Creek Fire last week. Crews were quick to restore the road, however. This
culvert and dirt fill have replaced the old wooden structure. Express
photoby David N. Selig
"The
weather helped quite a bit when it cooled off, but it also pushed it in
the early stages," South-Central Idaho BLM Fire Support Manager John
Sabala said. "We’re winding down now. I expect there would be crews
there throughout the week."
The
wildfire, reported around noon on Sept. 3, started in the Willow Creek
subdivision at the intersection of Willow Creek and Base Line roads in
Camas County, between Fairfield and Hailey.
The fire
started slow and was only 300 acres by 5 p.m. on Labor Day. But toward
sunset it took off and consumed 2,000 to 3,000 acres of public and private
lands by 8:30 p.m.
Willow
Creek resident Dick Walton said the fire appeared completely out of
control in the early stages.
"After
it crossed (Willow Creek Road), it was burning in every compass direction,
mostly uphill," he said.
Though a
number of homes were in harm’s way, only one out-building and the Willow
Creek Road bridge burned. The bridge has already been replaced by a
culvert.
Seven of 13
fire crews were sent home or to other fires Friday morning. Only one crew,
three engines and one helicopter are now working to extinguish hot spots.
Infrared
imagery obtained Thursday night showed very few hot spots near the head of
the fire, and a few hot spots in the interior.
The
Willow Creek Fire ravaged 18,000 acres of sage and timber between
Hailey and Fairfield last week. Photo courtesy of Dave and Matt Jensen
The burned
area has a perimeter of 35 miles, of which 12 miles are lines cut by bull
dossier, and the rest consist of road or hand-dug lines. The total burned
area was roughly 6 miles wide by 8 miles long.
All road
and trail closures have been lifted.
Containment
of the fire was relatively rapid. On Wednesday morning, the blaze was only
10 percent contained, but by the day’s end, managers estimated 75
percent containment.
Cool, humid
weather on Wednesday contributed significantly to the rapid containment,
Sabala said.
Despite 40
to 60 mile per hour winds Thursday, firefighters maintained the upper
hand.
•
Snow and
rain slowed the spread of the Snowshoe Fire in the Frank Church-River of
No Return Wilderness Area on Wednesday.
As much as
8 inches of snow fell at the fire camp at 8,000 feet, just west of the
fire.
However,
the fire still has potential to spread due to smoldering, heavy fuel and
drier, warmer weather in the forecast, according to a Salmon-Challis
National Forest press release.
Since Sept.
3, the fire grew 775 acres, reaching 22,275 acres before being slowed due
to Wednesday night’s precipitation.
The
Snowshoe Fire is burning in the vicinity of Elk Horn Creek and Pistol
Creek in the Middle Fork of the Salmon River drainage.
The
Salmon-Challis National Forest lifted its Stage I fire restrictions on
Saturday. Stage I restrictions are still in effect on the Sawtooth,
Payette and Boise national forests.