Single Publication

Acres: 17,446.    

Containment: 0%.      

Personnel: 700.    

Summary: The Hayden Fire started on Wednesday, July 19th, 2023, at approximately 11:30 am. The fire is located in the Lemhi Range, 18 miles west of Leadore, Idaho. The Hayden Fire is a full suppression fire. Firefighters are working long hours every day working to contain the fire as quickly as they can, impacting the fewest acres possible.  

Weather: The fire area will continue to be dry and hot, with moderating conditions today. Overnight relative humidity will increase, daytime winds will be lighter, with more cloud cover developing over the fire. 

Actions: Yesterday, weather conditions brought cooler temperatures, cloud cover allowed firefighters an opportunity to make good progress on containment lines, constructing more handline, and successfully increasing safety zones and contingency lines with burnout operations.  Today, fire operations will be implementing a “swing shift” which will enable firefighters to work into the late hours of the night to make additional progress when fire conditions are more favorable. Burnout operations to build depth to containment line are planned for the northern portion of the fire near Bear Valley Road.

“The firefighters assigned to the Hayden Fire are working extremely hard to extinguish this fire, protecting the surrounding communities, stakeholders, and public lands is their priority. I appreciate their hard work, dedication and the support shown by the community.”

 -Mike Johnston, Incident Commander of Great Basin Team 7.  

Important Information: The Lemhi County Sheriff’s Department in coordination with the Salmon-Challis National Forest and Great Basin Team 7 have pre-identified evacuation zones. They will be implemented using the “Ready, Set, Go” terminology, for more information please visit the Lemhi County website at lemhicountyidaho.org. 

As of yesterday, Stage 1 fire restrictions are in effect on the Salmon-Challis National Forest (SCNF), Idaho Department of Lands, and Bureau of Land Management jurisdiction. For more information, please visit the Salmon-Challis National Forest’s Alerts and Notices webpage. 

The Salmon-Challis National Forest has an area closure order in place to help protect firefighter and public safety.  Maps and additional information are available on the Alerts and Notices SCNF website. Risk to responders and public safety remains the highest priority for the incident management team