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Storm cells trigger fires across the county
A series of storm cells sweeping through Elmore County Wednesday triggered lightning-caused fires all across the county.
The storms lacked any significant rain but carried high winds with them that allowed even small fires to grow quickly as BLM and area firefighters rushed from one scene to the next.
As of 2 p.m. a range fire burning between Bliss and King Hill had
consumed 1,600 acres, according to a spokesperson from the Bureau of
Land Management (BLM). A containment time is not available at this time.
The lightning-caused fire started at around 8 a.m. in an area between
Pioneer Reservoir and Spring Cove Ranch. Crews from the Bliss Fire
District and BLM were dispatched to the fire.
At one point, the fire drifted into the King Hill Rural Fire District
(KHRFD) and crews from that agency were dispatched at about 11 a.m,
said Chief Bob Janousek. KHRFD responded with one tanker, three brush
trucks and seven crew members. Crews from KHRFD left the scene at about
12:30 p.m.
The Story County Fire Department, from Nevada, has brought in a dozer to help fight the blaze.
The fire was moving northwest when the wind shifted and turned it
toward the rest area on I-84.
As of 2:55 p.m. winds had again shifted moving the fire north back
toward Hwy. 30, said Nathan Jerke Communications Specialist with the
Idaho Department of Transportation. He said crews from ITD are
stationed at the rest stop to monitor the blaze and be on hand should a
closure of the freeway be necessary.
No further information is available at this time.
Meanwhile, a small brush fire broke out at the back of the Pilot but was quickly extinguished.
However, a storm cell passing though the western part of the county triggered a number of fires Wednesday afternoon between the Ditto Creek and Mayfield areas. As of 3:30 p.m. there were few details on those fires as BLM crews were just responding.