Single Publication

There have been seven (7) new fires reported on the Salmon-Challis National Forest since the last update on Monday, August 26, 2024.  To date, there have been 47 wildfires reported on the Salmon-Challis National Forest.  34 of the fires have been declared out.

Moyer (September 3) is located approximately 25 miles southwest of Salmon on the Salmon-Cobalt Ranger District.  Two (2) firefighters are on scene working to suppress the 0.10 acre fire burning in a single tree.

Kinnikinic (September 3): is located approximately 13 miles southwest of Challis on the Challis-Yankee Fork Ranger District.  Two (2) firefighters are on scene of the 0.10 acre fire which is contained.

Vanity (September 3): is located approximately 42 miles west of Challis on the Middle Fork Ranger District.  The two (2) acre fire is burning in subalpine fir is surrounded by the 2012 Halstead Fire.

Silver (September 2): is located approximately 35 miles southwest of Salmon on the Salmon-Cobalt Ranger District.  Two (2) firefighters are on scene working to suppress the 0.25 acre fire.

Shovel (September 2): is located approximately one (1) mile northeast of Yellowjacket Guard Station on the Salmon-Cobalt Ranger District.  The 0.10 acre fire is out.

Phelan (September 2):  is located west of the Ridge Road #020 approximately nine (9) miles west of Salmon on the Salmon-Cobalt Ranger District.  The fire is estimated at three (3) acres burning in lodgepole pine.  Resources are on scene working to suppress the fire. 

Red Rock (September 2):  is located approximately two (2) miles east of Yellowjacket Guard Station on the Salmon-Cobalt Ranger District.  The fire is estimated at 100-200 acres burning in Douglas fir and lodgepole pine.  Resources are on scene and additional resources are on order.  A Type III Incident Management Team has been ordered to manage the Red Rock and Black Eagle Fires.

Reynolds (August 22):  is located approximately 21 miles northwest of Indianola, approximately 5.5 miles northwest of Horse Creek Hot Springs Campground on the Idaho/Montana border.  Fire is estimated to be approximately 27 acres burning in spruce and fir.  The Bitterroot National Forest is lead on this fire.

Birch (August 17):  is located on the west side of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River on Norton Ridge on the Middle Fork Ranger District in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness.  The 66 acre fire is burning in subalpine fir.  The fire is surrounded by the 2022 Norton Fire and fire scars from the fires of 2000.

Hammer (August 16): is located approximately four (4) miles east of North Fork between Wagonhammer and Little Fourth of July Creeks on the North Fork Ranger District.  The fire is estimated at 8 acres in size.  The fire is out.

Sugarloaf (August 16): is located approximately 34 miles west of Salmon on the North Fork Ranger District in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness.  The 0.25 acre fire is burning in subalpine fir is out.

Greyhound (August 11): is located approximately 46 miles northwest of Challis on the Middle Fork Ranger District.  The 63 acre fire is burning in subalpine fir and lodgepole pine.  The fire is backing down until Sulphur Creek at the edge 2021 Boundary Creek Fire.  Firefighter and public safety is the number one priority for the Greyhound Fire.  During initial size up for the fire, several safety concerns were identified including: the remote location of the fire, steep and inaccessible terrain, heavy dead and down fuels with a substantial snag component, private property and associated mining infrastructure, and lack of safe ingress and egress for firefighters.  Fire managers will be monitoring the fire with reconnaissance flights and lookouts.  NFS Road #011 is a one way in, one way out roadway and is is closed for public safety, closure can be found at https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd1201939.pdf.

Black Eagle (August 5): is located approximately 12 miles west of Forney on the North Fork Ranger District in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness.  The 2,000 acre fire is burning in lodgepole and subalpine fir.  The fire is active, backing with short-range spotting, and short crown runs and is being monitored by aircraft and lookouts.  A Type III Incident Management Team has been ordered to manage the Black Eagle and Red Rock Fires.  Due to increased fire activity on the Black Eagle Fire, the Hoodoo Meadows Trail (#043) is currently closed from the Hoodoo Meadows Trailhead and all points in-between until it intersects with Forest Service Road 112 near Middle Fork Peak. For information on the current status of this closure please contact the North Fork Ranger District at (208)-865-2700.The Black Eagle Fire can be found on InciWeb at https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/idscf-black-eagle-fire.

Deer (July 25): The lightning fire is located approximately 33 miles northwest of Challis, southeast of Pinyon Peak on the Middle Fork Ranger District in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness.  Loon Creek Guard Station is east of the fire.  The fire, burning in grass and conifers is estimated at approximately 54 acres.  The fire is burning on both side of Rabbit Creek, in the 2006 Trail Creek Fire.  Fire managers are using a point protection strategy (a wildfire response strategy, which protects specific assets or highly valued resources from the wildfire without directly halting the continued spread of the wildfire) to minimize exposure to fire personnel while protecting identified values. The strategy takes into account exposure to firefighters, values at risk, and wilderness values. Specific values potentially threatened with this fire include private land and Forest Service infrastructure.

Thunder (July 24): The lightning fire is located approximately two (2) miles northwest of Williams Lake and approximately 12 miles southwest of Salmon.  The fire is 100% contained and estimated to be 2,474 acres in size and is burning in timber, sagebrush, and grass.

Weather:  ...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM MDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS...A Red Flag Warning remains in effect until 5 pm for scattered thunderstorms. Dry conditions are expected Wednesday through Saturday with monsoonal moisture and a chance for thunderstorms returning Sunday.

The forest is asking visitors to be aware of the fire danger for the Salmon-Challis National Forest.  Ensure your campfire is dead out. If it is too hot to touch, it is too hot to leave! One Less Spark Means One Less Wildfire.  Since June 1, Forest employees have found and extinguished at least 13 abandoned campfires.

Nationally, there are 51 uncontained large fires being managed under a full suppression strategy and 22 large fires managed under a strategy other than full suppression.

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