Single Publication

Fire Location 

• Wolf Creek: 5 miles W of Donnelly, ID 
• Boulder: 9 miles SW of Cascade, ID 

Size 

• Wolf Creek: 1,153 acres 
• Boulder: 1,594 acres

Containment 

• Wolf Creek :46% 
• Boulder: 6% 

Personnel 

• Wolf Creek: 268 
• Boulder: 434 

Start Date 

• Both Fires: 7/24/2024 

Cause 

• Both Fires: lightning 

Incident Commander 

Tony DeMasters, Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team #2

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Summary: The Boulder and Wolf Creek Fires started on the evening of Wednesday, July 24, 2024. An incident management team is delegated to the West Mountain Complex which includes Boulder, Snag, and Dollar Fires on the Boise National Forest and the Wolf Creek Fire on the Payette National Forest. Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team 2 took command of the West Mountain Complex today at 6:00 a.m. The team is using a mix of full suppression strategy, confine and contain, and point/zone protection on these lightning-caused fires. Please avoid high traffic fire areas, slow down while driving, and give the firefighters room to do their work. 

Weather | Anticipated Fire Behavior: 

A cooling trend is expected in the next few days with decreased humidity and temperatures dropping to the upper 60s/low 70s. Dry thunderstorms are expected over the weekend, with a low chance of wetting rains in the area.

Actions: 

Earlier this week, several new starts began on both the Boise and Payette National Forests. Firefighter and public safety, as well as the protection of values at risk, remain the top priorities of the team through all suppression efforts. 

Boulder Fire: 

The planned area for the fire footprint was reduced, staying west of the South Fawn Creek drainage. Near this area, firefighters are assessing opportunities for dozers to create fireline by clearing away a large swath of vegetation. The natural barriers of scree and steep rocky slopes to the west are limiting the spread of the fire in that direction. The night shift on the Boulder Fire continued last night as crews cooled hotspots and patrolled areas to the north.

Wolf Creek Fire: 

Containment of the Wolf Creek Fire is at 46%.  Yesterday, crews reinforced the dozer and handlines on the northeast area of the fire. By placing water pumps along the Little Weiser River, firefighters are able to connect to a water source and roll out hoses to reach areas they are cooling down. Firefighters addressed a few spot fires just beyond the southern perimeter. Yesterday, the Valley County Sheriff’s Office announced that the immediate threat to structures and property along the Cascade Lake area reduced, and the “ready” evacuation order for Zones 7 and 8 was lifted.

Important Information: The Boise National Forest has issued a closure order #0402-04-98 for National Forest System (NFS) roads, trails and lands encompassing the Boulder Fire. The closure was enacted to protect public safety and support fire suppression activities. The closure includes Blue Lake and Snowbank Mountain Road (#446) along with all #404 and #421 system roads. Near the Wolf Creek Fire, Forest Road #435 (Anderson Lake Road) was closed on August 1.  For more information on closures on the Boise National Forest please visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/boise/alerts-notices 

On the Payette National Forest, a closure including popular National Forest System roads around the Wolf Creek fire such as: sections of NFS #1763 (West Mountain Jeep Trail), #835, #206, #326. For a map and more detailed description of the closure please visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/payette/alerts-notices 

For timely information on evacuations, check out your county’s emergency alert system. 

• Valley County: https://www.co.valley.id.us/CompleteEmergencyNotificationandAlerting 
• Adams County:  https://public.alertsense.com/SignUp/PublicUser.aspx?regionid=1077

Stage 1 Fire Restrictions have been issued for the Payette Fire Restrictions Area on the Payette National Forest and the West Central Mountains Fire Restrictions Area on the Boise National Forest.  For more information on the restrictions and a very helpful interactive map, visit https://www.idl.idaho.gov/fire-management/fire-restrictions-finder/