Single Publication

There have been nine (9) new fires reported on the Salmon-Challis National Forest since the last update on Monday, September 9, 2024.  To date, there have been 59 wildfires reported on the Salmon-Challis National Forest.  40 of the fires have been declared out.  

Ebenezer (September 15): is approximately 27 miles west of North Fork on the North Fork Ranger District.  The fire is approximately 0.10 acres burning in a down log.  

Colson (September 14): is approximately 30 miles southwest of North Fork on the North Fork Ranger District.  The fire is approximately 0.10 acres burning in a snag.  

Napias (September 13): is located approximately 11 miles west of Salmon on the Salmon-Cobalt Ranger District.  The fire is approximately 0.25 acres burning in spruce and fir is out.  

Nugget (September 13): is located approximately 40 miles west of Salmon on the North Fork Ranger District in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness.  The 0.10 acre fire is burning in fir.  

Coral (September 11):  is located approximately 26 miles of Mackay on the Lost River Ranger District.  The 0.10 acre fire burning in subalpine fir is 100% contained. 

Twin Bridges (September 11): is located approximately 32 miles northwest of Mackay on the Lost River Ranger District in the Jim McClure-Jerry Peak Wilderness.  The 0.10 acre fire is burning in grass and shrubs.  

Lightning (September 11): is located approximately 13 miles northwest of Sunbeam on the Challis-Yankee Fork Ranger District.  The fire is estimated at five (5) acres burning in spruce and fir.  

Cougar (September 11): s located approximately three (3) miles south of the Garden Fire on the North Fork Ranger District in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness.  The fire is estimated at five (5) acres in size burning in grass and brush.  

Garden (September 8):  is located approximately two (2) miles southwest of the confluence of Panther Creek and the Main Salmon River on the North Fork Ranger District in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness.  The fire is approximately 230 acres burning in grass, brush, and timber.  

Shell (September 3): is located approximately 28 miles northwest of Challis on the Middle Fork Ranger District in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness.  The fire remains at 0.10 acre and is burning in fir.  

Vanity (September 3): is located approximately 42 miles west of Challis on the Middle Fork Ranger District.  The approximately 600 acre fire is burning in subalpine fir and is surrounded by the 2012 Halstead 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. Specific values potentially threatened with this fire include Forest Service infrastructure.  23 firefighters are assigned to the fire.   The fire can be found on InciWeb at https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/idscf-vanity.  The Beaver Creek Road #008 is closed for public safety due to the Vanity Fire.  The closure can be found at:  https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd1203351.pdf. 

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 which is 100% contained and controlled.  

Red Rock (September 2):  is located approximately two (2) miles east of Yellowjacket Guard Station on the Salmon-Cobalt Ranger District.  A Complex Incident Management Team is managing the fire and information is being reported separately.  The fire can be found on InciWeb at https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/idscf-red-rock-fire.   

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 2,671 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 1,049 acre fire is burning in subalpine fir.  The fire is surrounded by the 2022 Norton Fire and fire scars from the fires of 2000.

Greyhound (August 11): is located approximately 46 miles northwest of Challis on the Middle Fork Ranger District.  The 97 acre fire is burning in subalpine fir and lodgepole pine on the edge of the 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 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 fire is burning in lodgepole and subalpine fir.  A Complex Incident Management Team is managing the fire and information is being reported separately.  The fire can be found on InciWeb at https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/idscf-black-eagle-fire.  

Wapiti (July 24):  started on the Boise National Forest, burned onto the Sawtooth National, and around August 24th burned onto the Salmon-Challis National Forest.  A Complex Incident Management Team is managing the fire.  Information can be found on InciWeb at https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/idbof-wapiti-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 controlled, fire size is estimated to be 2,474 acres and is burning in timber, sagebrush, and grass.  

Weather:  Thunderstorms return to the region this afternoon, with gust potential over 50 mph and threat for locally heavy rainfall. Rain becomes more widespread and heavier through the night and then continues into Tuesday. Another system arrives Wednesday with additional rainfall forecast. Temperatures are expected to remain cool through the week.

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 55 uncontained large fires being managed under a full suppression strategy and 39 large fires managed under a strategy other than full suppression.  

Visit our website at: www.fs.usda.gov/scnf/, ‘Like Us’ on Facebook @salmonchallisnf, and ‘Follow Us’ on X @salmonchallisnf.  

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