Single Publication

Wapiti Fire Update

Monday, September 2, 2024 – 9:00 a.m.

Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 1

Dan Dallas, Incident Commander

Information Phone: 208-593-7132 (public) 208-901-8973 (media) Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Email: 2024.wapiti@firenet.gov

InciWeb:https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/idbof-wapiti-fire

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/wapitifireinfo2024/

Information Linktree:https://linktr.ee/WapitiFireInfo2024

Interactive Map:https://tinyurl.com/WapitiFireInfoMap

Special Notes: State Highway 21 remains closed from east of Lowman to Stanley (MP84 to MP130) due to wildfire activity. Highway 75 remains open.

There will be a Wapiti Fire community meeting at the fire station in Lowman at 6:00 pm Tuesday. Officials will also be present to answer questions about the Nellie Fire.

Current Situation: Yesterday, the fire became very active in the afternoon throughout the entire perimeter as the inversion lifted and winds picked up. Today, a Red Flag Warning will produce challenging conditions for firefighters on Monday as dry fuels and winds from a passing weather system increase fire activity. For more than a week, firefighters have focused on establishing and strengthening firelines around communities and other values at risk in anticipation of this type of event. As a result, firelines have become more secure each day. Crews will remain on alert today as they continue to strengthen and hold established lines.

Division DD: Crews will continue extending the indirect line from the Stanley Ranger Station to Redfish Lake. They are also extending the line from the Fish Hatchery south along the Decker Flats Road. This indirect line will check the fire’s progress in the event it moves out of Sawtooth Wilderness towards Highway 75 and values at risk. The fire in the Wilderness is slowly growing towards the south but is not threatening values at this time.

Division HH: Crews and heavy equipment have constructed indirect fireline around Goat Falls, Stanley and nearby communities, extending the fireline from Goat Falls to the Stanley Ranger Station. Personnel will continue to work on strengthening the line. This indirect line will tie in with the indirect line being constructed in Division DD.

Division KK and Structure Group East: Crews were able to use strategic firing operations to remove unburned fuels between the fire and control lines in the Iron Creek area. This is to prevent the fire from making a strong push in this area. Firefighters recognize today will challenge their work and will remain in and around communities and other values at risk, watching for spot fires, maintaining defensible space and mopping up. Crews will remain on the large spot east of Highway 21, ensuring it is secure and poses no threat to the community.

Division PP: Firelines established in this area held yesterday as the fire made a push. The fire will again challenge these lines, and crews will be vigilant looking for spot fires and strengthening the firelines as fire activity picks up. Crews will again work at the Bradley Boy Scout Camp and other surrounding structures charging hose lays and prepping the area in the event the fire crosses Highway 21 further to the northwest. Work continues along Highway 21 near and east of the division break to keep the fire to the south side of the highway.

Division MM: Yesterday, the fire was active in this area, but firelines held and crews were able to check the fire’s progress. Today, crews will work to secure the fire’s edge and watch for spot fires as activity picks up. The actions are designed to protect the campground and prevent the fire from moving further north. Fire managers are expecting active fire behavior in Thatcher Creek today. Additional crews will be finishing the prep along Highway 21 corridor. They will evaluate the fire’s progress and take action should fire threaten to push north and west of the highway.

Division WW and Structure Group West: Crews continue patrolling within Hanging Valley and the Wapiti area, along the 524 road, and the Grandjean area looking for hot spots and removing hazards. Crews will continue cutting indirect fireline between Warm Springs and Ten Axe. Fireline construction and structure prep will continue around the Sourdough Lodge area. Crews will assess opportunities to harden the lines around the subdivisions of Two Ravens, Ten Ax, and Seven Peaks and work on structure prep. Fireline around the Warm Springs airstrip and Bonneville Campground will be strengthened as crews work to check the fires progress and prevent it from progressing down to the Highway 21 corridor. The fire has crossed the Warm Springs drainage to the north and is slowly progressing towards the Pioneer Fire scar.

Division VV:  The focus in Division VV today will again be on assessing opportunities for fireline construction south of Highway 21 on the southwestern corner of the fire. Fire supervisors are looking for opportunities to check the fire’s slow westward movement on the south side of the highway.

Weather, Fuels, and Fire Behavior:

A Red Flag Warning is in effect beginning at noon today due to a low-pressure system moving into the area. Scattered thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty and erratic winds up to 45 mph could accompany these storms as they track from the southwest to the northeast. Brief rainfall and small hail may accompany the strongest storms. This unsettled weather pattern will persist through Tuesday. The morning will be smoky under an inversion, then lifting and clearing in the early afternoon, bringing sunny skies. The weather will make for challenging and near critical fire behavior with an elevated potential for group torching, runs and long-range spotting.

Evacuations:

For evacuation information on the Wapiti Fire, please see the Custer County Sheriff’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/p/Custer-County-Sheriff-Idaho-61558947312289/ and the Boise County Sheriff’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/boisecountysheriff/.

Red Cross has established a shelter at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at 24695 US-93, Challis, ID.

To sign up for Custer County CodeRED emergency notifications, text CUSTER to 99411 or enroll online at https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/BF28E45537FF .

To sign up for Boise County Alert Sense emergency notification enroll online at https://public.alertsense.com/SignUp/publicUser.aspx?regionid=1163

Closures and Fire Restrictions:

State Highway 21 is closed from MP84 to MP130 for public and firefighter safety.

A Wapiti Fire Area Closure / Forest Order: 0414-04-151 for portions of the Boise, Sawtooth, and Salmon-Challis National Forests can be found at this site: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/sawtooth/alerts-notices.

Boise National Forest Stage 1 Fire Restrictions / Forest Order: 0402-00-63 can be found at this site: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/boise/alerts-notices.

Sawtooth National Forest Stage 1 Fire Restrictions / Forest Order 0414-00-044 can be found at this site: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/sawtooth/alerts-notices.

Fire restrictions on state and private lands may be found at this site: https://www.idl.idaho.gov/fire-management/fire-restrictions-finder/.

A Temporary Flight Restriction is in place over the Wapiti Fire. Wildfires are a no-fly zone for unauthorized aircraft, including drones. If you fly, we can’t. For more information, visit http://knowbeforeyoufly.org.

Wapiti Fire Statistics:

Size: over 107,986 acres

Containment: 0%

Total Personnel: 1487

Location: Grandjean, ID

Reported: July 24, 2024

Cause: lightning

For More Information:

Information Phone: 208-593-7132

Email: 2024.wapiti@firenet.gov

InciWeb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/idbof-wapiti-fire

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wapitifireinfo2024/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/WapitiFireInfo2024

Interactive Map: https://tinyurl.com/WapitiFireInfoMap