Single Publication

Wapiti Fire Statistics: 

Size:120,354 acres    

Containment: 12% 

Total Personnel: 1,473

Location: Grandjean, ID 

Reported: July 24, 2024 

Cause: lightning 

Special Notes:  The Custer County Sherriff made a slight reduction in the road closure- State Highway 21 now remains closed east of Lowman to Stanley from MP84 (Sourdough Lodge) to MP126 (Stanley Lake turnoff)due to wildfire activity. Highway 75 remains open. 

Current Situation: The fire is being managed under a full suppression values-driven strategy. A values driven suppression strategy emphasizes the protection of values at risk while only placing fire personnel in locations where they will have a reasonable probability of success. Firefighter and public safety remain the highest priority in all management decisions. Resources assigned to the Wapiti Fire are supporting initial attack operations on the Frog Fire on the Sawtooth National Forest and the Lava Fire on the Boise National Forest. 

Division DD: The fire in the Sawtooth Wilderness is slowly growing towards the south and east remaining in the drainage bottoms with rocky alpine terrain above it. Minimal resources are staffed in this division due to the limited access within the Wilderness and low fire potential. 

Division HH:  Contingency lines are complete between Iron Creek and Goat Creek. A structure crew remains in place to provide support as needed.

Division KK and Structure Group East: Excess equipment is being removed from the area and crews have begun to repair the suppression work. Crews continue to mop up and patrol along the entire division. The large spot east of Hwy 21 remains in patrol status. 

Divisions PP & MM: Last night crews staffed the burn operations and worked to suppress spot fires that crossed Highway 21.  Today they will continue to patrol the area and monitor yesterday’s ignitions. Prep work has been completed at Camp Bradley Scout Reservation and crews remain staged to protect structures if needed. Crews continue to grid for hotspots, mop up, and hold established lines within the Bull Trout Lake area.

Division WW and Structure Group West:   Aviation provided multiple drops along north of Highway 21. The structure group is moving further into the Lowman area to assess and prep structures. The fire continues to hold at the Chapman Creek drainage and crews are working to suppress spot fires as they pop up. Personnel remain in the communities to assess structures and be in place to defend structures if needed. 

Division VV:  Fire in this division is burning partially within the Sawtooth Wilderness and is unstaffed due to the lack of road access. 

Weather, Fuels, and Fire Behavior:  

The weather will trend hotter and drier on Monday and Tuesday with relative humidities in the range of 10-20%. Critical fire weather is expected on Tuesday due to high temperatures and winds. All fuels are cured and available to burn across all elevations. With proper wind/slope alignment the fire can be expected to make active runs. Starting Wednesday afternoon, a strong change in weather pattern will be present over the fire area. This will bring a storm that is expected to produce up to an inch of rain with winds out of the north and northwest. 

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 still 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 federal, 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. 

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