Single Publication

The West Mountain Complex includes five fires- Boulder, Snag, Wolf Creek, Dollar, and Goat Fires. Read our daily update for more information. Scroll to the bottom of the page for PDF versions of the daily update, the daily map, and the daily smoke report.

QUICK FACTS
Fire  |  Location  |  Size  |  Containment  |  Start Date
Boulder  |  9 miles SW of Cascade  |  2,288 acres  |  35%  |  7/24/2024
Wolf Creek  |  5 miles W of Donnelly  |  1,154 acres  |  95%  |  7/24/2024
Snag  |  11 miles E of Cascade  |  21,464 acres  |  0%  |  8/5/2024
Dollar  |  18 miles NE of Cascade  |  1,865 acres  |  0%   |  8/5/2024
Goat  |  11 miles SE of Cascade  |  1,405 acres  |  0%   |  8/5/2024
Gabe | 9 miles SW of Cascade | 5 acres | 100% | 8/15/2024

Cause: Lightning (All Fires)
Total Incident Personnel: 1,221

Soldiers of the 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion, a combat engineer battalion of the United States Army based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington, have successfully completed their training in firefighting tactics on the Wolf Creek Fire yesterday. Today the battalion will be broken down into their crews and be assigned to all fires being managed by the Great Basin Incident Management Team 2.

Weather | Anticipated Fire Behavior: 

Temperatures yesterday were slightly cooler, settling in the upper 70s, with increased humidity and afternoon winds around 15-20 mph. Today, conditions will remain dry, warm, and gusty. Winds will shift to southwesterly, with gusts up to 25 mph. There is a low chance of monsoonal moisture today, with potential increasing later in the week. Tonight, there is chance for increased fire activity with lower humidity recoveries below the inversion layer. 

Boulder Fire: https://tinyurl.com/ycdfv3tv

Containment on the Boulder Fire has increased. Control lines on the fire remain intact and fire crews will continue to monitor for any interior torching that could lead to spotting around edge of the fire perimeter. The western perimeter of the fire is surrounded by rock outcroppings, which effectively reduce the fire’s ability to spread. Fire managers are looking for future opportunities for firing operations, which are weather dependent. 

Dollar Fire: https://tinyurl.com/bef6r3tz

Crews are making progress on installing handlines along the west and southern perimeter of the fire. Installing handline is the process of removing available fuels down to mineral soil using firefighting hand tools to reduce the amount of burnable material. The previously burned area to the east of the Dollar Fire has slowed growth on the fire. Fire crews are working to install plumbing around the fire. 

Snag Fire: https://tinyurl.com/4k9dk3mu

Fire crews are working to strengthen control lines between the west perimeter and Warm Lake Road. They will continue to plumb along the perimeter, which means setting up a system of hoses, pumps, and water sources to control and contain the fire. This setup helps firefighters manage hotspots and prevent fire spread beyond established perimeters. Fire managers are looking for opportunities for firing operations, which are weather dependent. 

The Valley County Sheriff’s Office, in coordination with Great Basin Incident Management Team 2, have established one-way escorts for residents and contractors through the Snag Fire affected areas. This escort will be provided for reasons of necessity and not for recreation purposes. For more information visit: https://tinyurl.com/mtartvas

Wolf Creek Fire: https://tinyurl.com/mcksrfvh

The Wolf Creek Fire is nearing containment. Fire crews will continue to monitor for any internal heat and torching. Torching occurs when there is ignition of a single or small group of trees. Firefighters will begin repair work on the hand and dozer lines today. 

Goat Fire: https://tinyurl.com/2h4a3dvr

The western edge of the Goat Fire is adjacent to a previously burned area, which could help slow fire progress. Fire crews are evaluating old containment lines that were used on a previous wildfire in the area. Firefighters will strengthen these containment lines which will help prevent fire spread. 

Gabe Fire:

Crews will continue to monitor the Gabe Fire to ensure no further fire activity occurs. 

For more information on the Middle Fork Complex (Nellie, Anderson, and Bulldog Fire): https://tinyurl.com/3rhawr5y 

Wapiti Fire: https://tinyurl.com/yf7reydj Bulltrout Fire: https://tinyurl.com/tatwwk5t 

SNAG FIRE EVACUATION INFORMATION

The Valley County Sheriff’s Office issued a “ready” evacuation order for Warm Lake residents and the North Shore Lodge at Warm Lake on August 7. The map can be found on Inciweb: https://tinyurl.com/42auxnk8.  A second “ready” evacuation order was issued on August 8 for the Horsethief area, including the YMCA Camp, and areas of Scott Valley. This map can also be found on Inciweb, with the relevant areas outlined in purple:  https://tinyurl.com/4vfj657x

Review the READY, SET, GO evacuation procedure for Valley County: https://www.co.valley.id.us/ReadySetGo

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

ROAD CLOSURES

Warm Lake Highway Closure: The Valley County Sheriff’s Office has closed Warm Lake Highway due to the Snag Fire. The Warm Lake Highway is closed at the Horsethief Road intersection east toward Warm Lake and from the Johnson Creek Road intersection west toward Warm Lake. Scott Valley residents will be allowed access. For updates on county closures visit: https://www.co.valley.id.us/departments/SheriffsOffice.

FOREST CLOSURES

Hunting Closures: Prior to entering the backcountry, Idaho Fish and Game advises hunters to check with their local Forest Service ranger district offices or county sheriffs’ offices for fire closures in their hunt areas. For more information visit: https://tinyurl.com/4td8hwzc

The Boise National Forest has modified or expanded their wildfire closures August 12, 2024 to address public and firefighter safety and respond to increased wildfire growth. This closure area begins at the south end of the Dollar/Oro (Snag) fire closure area and continues south to Crouch and the Banks-Lowman Hwy, and east to the 579, 563 and 582 roads.

Wolf Creek Fire Closures: 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. On the Boise National Forest, Forest Road #435 (Anderson Lake Road) was closed on August 1. 

Boulder Fire Closures: 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. 

For maps and more detailed descriptions of the closures on the Payette National Forest, please visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/payette/alerts-notices

For maps and more detailed descriptions of the closures on the Boise National Forest, please visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/boise/alerts-notices 

Fire Restrictions: 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/

Important Links

• Payette National Forest: https://www.fs.usda.gov/payette
• Payette National Forest Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PayetteNationalForest
• Boise National Forest: https://www.fs.usda.gov/boise
• Boise National Forest Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BoiseNationalForest
• Idaho Department of Lands: https://www.idl.idaho.gov/fire-management/