Single Publication

There will be a community meeting in Salmon on Thursday, July 27th at 6 PM at the Idaho Fish and Game Office

Size: 11,032 acres

Containment: 0%

Personnel: 537

Summary: The Hayden Fire started on Wednesday, July 19th, 2023, at approximately 11:30 am. The fire is located in the Lemhi Range, 18 miles west of Leadore, Idaho.  The fire is burning in steep and difficult terrain with spruce/subalpine fir containing a heavy dead/down timber component.  Fire cause is undetermined.

Weather: THERE IS A RED FLAG WARNING FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY.  Incident Remote Automatic Weather Stations (IRAWS) have been deployed to the fire to augment on-site forecasts. The combination of low afternoon humidity and strong southwest winds will create critical fire weather conditions on Wednesday and Thursday. West winds gusting up to 45 mph along the ridges are anticipated on both days.

Actions: Additional fire personnel and equipment have been arriving and are being integrated into the fire operations. The Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR ) around the fire area has increased for the safety of the aviation resources on the scene. In the northern area of the fire, crews are continuing work on both hand and dozer lines by upper Kadletz Creek and Ford Creek. In the southern area, firefighters are identifying and improving control lines. With yesterday’s fire progression, crews are scouting opportunities for additional containment lines.

Important Information: The Lemhi County Sheriff’s Department in coordination with the Salmon-Challis National Forest and Great Basin Team 7 has pre-identified evacuation zones. They will be implemented using the “Ready, Set, Go” terminology, for more information on the evacuation zones please visit the Lemhi County website at lemhicountyidaho.org. Information on “ready, set, go” is available on the Hayden Fire Inciweb page.

The Salmon-Challis National Forest has a revised closure order in place to help protect firefighter and public safety. Maps and additional information are available on the Alerts and Notices section of the SCNF website.  Risk to responders and public safety remains the highest priority for the incident management team.

The U.S. Forest Service, Idaho Department of Lands, and Bureau of Land Management in east-central Idaho will begin Stage 1 fire restrictions, effective at just after midnight (12:01 am) on Friday, July 28, 2023.