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Early morning fire activity on the Four Corners Fire prompted Valley County Sheriff to expand evacuations this morning to include residents of Campbell Creek.  As the cold front moved through the valley, winds of over 30 mph were recorded over the fire area.  The fire grew to the south and east; however, the exact perimeter is unknown at this time because heavy smoke limited visibility.  There is no reported damage to private property or structures.  All other areas of the fire perimeter held with little to no growth.  Winds have since diminished.

The combination of strong, gusty winds and thick smoke also limited aircraft during portions of the day.  As they were able, both scoopers and helicopters dropped water on the fire.  Embers falling into dry vegetation started small fires at least a mile ahead of the main fire.  The largest discovered so far is ¼ acre, and helicopters dropped numerous buckets of water on these spots to limit growth until firefighters will be able to work on these areas from the ground as well.

Tomorrow’s weather will be more favorable for firefighters.  Winds will be light, temperatures will remain moderate, and relative humidity will be up slightly.  Going into the week, a high pressure system will return and bring very hot and dry conditions back to the area.

Virtual Information Meeting:  Tomorrow, Sunday, August 28 at 5 PM, a Facebook live virtual meeting will be held to share an update on the fire situation. The meeting can be accessed on the Payette National Forest Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/payettenationalforest.

Use caution traveling through the area. Boaters on Lake Cascade should be continuously aware that water scooping planes and helicopters may use any area of the lake throughout the day to draw water to support the firefighters.

Air Quality:  A heavy inversion is expected Sunday morning as stable conditions will limit air movement.  Those with sensitivities should limit outdoor activities at least until the inversion lifts, which is expected to occur mid to late morning.  Specific information about local smoke levels, forecasts, and possible health impacts is available at https://outlooks.airfire.org/outlook/cc0ac676/.

Evacuation Information: Valley County Sheriff has issued evacuation orders (Go) for area residents of Campbell Creek, God’s Acres, and French Creek. Others in the vicinity are encouraged to consider evacuation preparations (Ready). Please visit www.wildlandfirersg.org for information on packing and preparing for evacuations. For more information on evacuations and local support, call the Valley County Sheriff's Office at 208.382.5160.

Closure Information:  The complete closure order for the Boise and Payette National Forests – including a full description and an accompanying map – is available at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/closures/8331/.