Single Publication

WEST MOUNTAIN FIRES

Boulder, Snag, Wolf Creek,

Dollar & Goat Fire Updates

QUICK FACTS

Fire                      Location                                          Size                      Containment        Start Date

Boulder               9 miles SW of Cascade                  2,396 acres                    57%                 7/24/2024

Wolf Creek          5 miles W of Donnelly                   1,154 acres                    95%                  7/24/2024

Snag                  11 miles E of Cascade                  27,458 acres                     3%                  8/5/2024

Dollar                18 miles NE of Cascade                  2,937 acres                     0%                  8/5/2024

Goat                  11 miles SE of Cascade                   2,274 acres                     0%                  8/5/2024

Cause: Lightning (All Fires)

Total Incident Personnel: 1,007

Army crews from the 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion based at Joint Base Lewis McChord are currently assisting with suppression efforts on the West Mountain Complex.

Weather | Anticipated Fire Behavior: 

Yesterday’s warm, dry, and gusty conditions produced moderate fire behavior with smoldering, creeping, and isolated group torching. This resulted in growth on the Dollar, Snag, and Goat fires. Although temperatures will be cooler, similar dry and gusty conditions persist today, and fires may be active when wind, fuels, and terrain features align. Lower humidities persisting throughout the night will increase the amount of time the fire can burn actively during the day.

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

Yesterday, crews continued suppression repair and mop up on a pocket of heat on the northeast side. Some heat remains on the western edge but fire growth there is limited by rocky, non-flammable features. Today, crews will continue mop up and fire line repair, while returning equipment to the incident command post so it can be used again elsewhere.

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

Yesterday, crews conducted a firing operation on the southwest corner of the fire. Army crews assisted by holding the fire’s containment line. Today, firefighters and army crews may continue with the small firing operation if weather conditions are conducive, as well as mopping up and patrolling for areas of heat that threaten which could escape containment lines.

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

A previous firing operation on the northern section of the fire held yesterday, however later in the day, on a portion of the northeast edge, the fire became very active in the proximity of Warm Lake Highway.  For public safety, the Valley County Sheriff’s Office closed the highway to all traffic overnight.  In addition, the power corridor has been shut down. Elsewhere, mop up continued on the western flank. The firing operation on the southwest corner was not carried out due to unfavorable wind conditions. If weather allows, that firing operation may occur today. Mop up will continue as a plan is developed to control the fire risk along Warm Lake Road. Army crews continue holding fire line on the Snag Fire.  They are also patrolling and mopping up.

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

Fire line rehabilitation and equipment backhauling continued yesterday. Payette National Forest resources shadowed operations in preparation for assuming command of the fire today. Rehabilitation is expected to remain the focus for the next two weeks. This is the last day we will report on the Wolf Creek Fire. For updates beginning Aug. 29, please check https://www.fs.usda.gov/payette

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

Reconnaissance and contingency line preparation continued yesterday. The Goat Fire is in steep and challenging terrain, making firefighting even more dangerous. Identifying contingency lines and creating management action points is an important part of protecting values at risk to the west of the fire.                            

Other regional fire information: 

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 threat to public safety from increased fire behavior and potential for fire spread along and/or across the roadway. 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 modified or expanded their wildfire closures on 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.

Dollar Fire Closure: The Payette National Forest implemented an area closure on August 23, covering an area north of the Boise National Forest closure, to provide for public safety around the Dollar Fire. National Forest System trails #099, #100, #101, and #302 are impacted by the closure. 

Wolf Creek Fire Closures: On the Payette National Forest, a new closure was placed on National Forest System Road #1762 (Poison Timber Point Road) and NFS Trail #560. Additionally, a closure was lifted yesterday, August 27, on popular NFS roads around the Wolf Creek fire such as: sections of NFS Roads #1763 (West Mountain Jeep Trail), #835, #206, and #326. On the Boise National Forest, restrictions on NFS #435 (Anderson Lake Road) were lifted. Please respect all posted closure signage.

Boulder Fire Closures: The Boise National Forest has issued a closure order #0402-04-98 for 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/

 Temporary Flight Restrictions

Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR) are in place over the Boulder, Dollar, Snag, and Goat Fires. Yesterday morning, an aircraft entered the restricted zone without authorization, temporarily grounding fire aircraft and hampering firefighting efforts. Such incidents are reported to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for further review. Wildfires are a no-fly zone for unauthorized aircraft, including drones. TFRs are critical for firefighter and aircraft safety. If you fly, we can’t. For more information, visit http://knowbeforeyoufly.org.

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/