Single Publication

Wapiti Fire Update

Thursday, September 5, 2024 – 9:30 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: Rocky Mountain CIMT1 will host a community meeting at the Stanley Community Building at 6:00 pm today. The meeting will be livestreamed on Facebook for those who cannot attend in person. 

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

Current Situation: Clearer skies yesterday allowed sunlight to reach the ground, increasing fire behavior. The work firefighters have done in Divisions PP and KK has proven very effective, as all lines are holding. Contained firelines in these divisions brings total containment for the fire to 8%. Air resources were active over Division WW to slow the fire’s progress over Eight Mile Ridge and support firefighters on the ground. Fire resources will again assist the local Forests with initial attack of new fire starts as needed. Crews will continue to strengthen and hold established lines and utilize strategic firing operations to remove fuels where necessary. 

Division DD: Crews are creating a break in fuels along the Decker Flats Road south of the Fish Hatchery. This will provide firefighters an effective place to stop the fire should it move in that direction. Fire mangers are continuing to look south of the current line placement, assessing values at risk and locations for indirect line placement. The objective is to check the fire’s progress in the event it moves out of Sawtooth Wilderness towards Highway 75. The fire in the Wilderness is slowly growing towards the south and east but is not threatening values at this time. 

Division HH: The indirect fireline around Goat Falls, Stanley, nearby communities, and down to the Stanley Ranger Station is complete, and structure protections crews are in place should the fire progress towards these communities. Crews are working near Redfish Lake to provide protection should the fire move towards this area. 

Division KK and Structure Group East: Mop up will continue along control lines in both Crooked Creek, and Iron Creek and along the Iron Creek Trail. Crews are looking for opportunities to secure the fire’s edge to the west to prevent the fire from wrapping around and moving back towards Stanley. The large spot east of Highway 21 is contained. Personnel will continue to patrol the contained portions of the fireline in this division. 

Division PP: Crews will continue to mop up and secure the fire’s edge within the finger of the fire that crossed Highway 21 and along National Forest Road 203. Crews are looking for opportunities to keep the fire off the Highway 21 corridor around the Thatcher Creek area and to protect the values at risk north of that area. Crews will again work at the Bradley Boy Scout Camp, prepping the area in the event the fire crosses Highway 21 again. 

Division MM: Crews will continue to mop up within the Bull Trout Lake area, securing the fire’s edge and watching for spot fires. Crews will be prepared to use strategic firing operations to keep pace with the fire as it comes off Copper Mountain and progresses down to Highway 21. The objective is to keep the fire’s edge even and fire intensity low to reduce the threat to nearby values.  

Division WW and Structure Group West:  The fire was very active yesterday in Casner Creek and Eight Mile Ridge above the Warm Springs airstrip. Water drops from scooper planes and helicopters were used to slow the fire’s progression to the west. Crews are prepared to use strategic firing operations as the fire moves down the creek to ensure it does not make a run back towards the airstrip. The prep work, firelines and hoses lays around the Sourdough Lodge area, and the subdivisions of Two Ravens, Ten Ax, and Seven Peaks will continue today. Crews continue patrolling within Hanging Valley and the Wapiti Creek area, along the 524 road, and the Grandjean area. 

Division VV:  Yesterday, crews began working in Chapman Creek to hold the fire’s progress at the bottom of the drainage. Firing operations will be used as needed to prevent further fire spread to the southwest.  

Weather, Fuels, and Fire Behavior:  

A high-pressure system will dominate the area for the next couple of days, bringing sunny, warm, dry conditions. Lower elevations will remain smoky under an inversion until around 1:00 pm. Winds will continue to be light, and out of the southwest for both branches with gusts up to 15 mph and decreasing after 8:00 pm. The sunshine hitting the ground and warming and drying the fuels may make for challenging fire behavior. The possibility of group torching, short runs, and short-range spotting remains.  

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/. 

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 112,321 acres    

Containment: 8% 

Total Personnel: 1428 

Location: Grandjean, ID 

Reported: July 24, 2024 

Cause: lightning