Single Publication

Precipitation moderates fire activity on Chimney Fire 

Daily Update – Thursday, September 12, 2024       

Acres: 6,475                                                                                                     

Start Date: 9/2/2024

Location: 9 miles northwest of Fairfield, ID                              

Personnel: 457

Containment: 10%                                                                  

Fuels: Timber, brush, grass, understory

Highlights: Community meeting will be held tonight at 6 pm at the Camas County Senior and Community Center at 129 Willow Avenue in Fairfield, Idaho.

Operations: Firefighters added containment on the southern perimeter to keep the fire from moving across the Lime Creek drainage and to protect values at risk. A reconnaissance flight detected a spot fire on the northern section of the fire that grew to 40 acres by the afternoon. Fire growth is pushing northeast towards a significant natural feature, Rock Ridge, that could help to hold the fire. Crews scouted access roads and planned for future work along the eastern and western flanks. Today’s activities will be weather dependent; if the roads are passable and safe for crews to continue scouting routes, cleanup work will continue on the proposed bulldozer line. With anticipated high relative humidity at a minimum of 53, minimal fire activity expected today. Heat is expected to remain in heavy dead and down timber, despite the expected weather pattern.

Weather: Rain showers are expected to continue through Thursday afternoon, producing an expected rainfall total of 0.10 to 0.60 of an inch of rainfall. This autumn storm will keep high temperatures mainly 45 to 55 degrees on Thursday afternoon. Humidity will run very high, staying above 45 percent everywhere. With clearing skies Thursday night lows should be in the 30s, including locations below the freezing mark.

Smoke: Smoke may be visible from the Fairfield area, with much improved air quality predicted today. An interactive smoke map located at https://fire.airnow.gov/ allows you to zoom into your area to see the latest conditions.

Closures: The Sawtooth National Forest has issued an emergency temporary closure of trails and trail segments for the Chimney Fire. The purpose of the closure order is for the protection of firefighters and public during wildfire suppression activities occurring in and around the trails. The full closure order (No. 0414-05-065) and map are available on the Sawtooth National Forest website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/sawtooth/alerts-notices.

Safety: The health and safety of firefighters and the public are always the first priority. A temporary flight restriction (TFR) is in place over the area, which includes uncrewed aircraft or drones. Flying drones near wildfires is dangerous for pilots and firefighters and can bring wildfire suppression efforts to a halt. Know before you fly. If you fly, we can’t. More information can be found at: https://uas.nifc.gov/. 

More Information: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/ideix-chimney-fire / 

208-246-8292 / https://www.facebook.com/sawtoothnationalforest / 2024.chimney@firenet.gov / https://www.facebook.com/IdahoDepartmentofLands/