Fire evacuations, road closures expand

The Elmore County Sheriff's Office has extended evacuation orders for other communities north of Mountain Home as wildfires in the area continue to grow.

As of 6 p.m. Friday, evacuation orders included residents living in an area from Anderson Dam Reservoir up Fall Creek Road to Ice Springs Campground and east to Lester Creek Guard Station.

Earlier that day, mandatory evacuation orders were issued for residents in Prairie and Fall Creek areas as a pair of range fires rapidly grew during the day. Meanwhile, the Danskin and Bennett Mountain fire lookouts were also evacuated although the area East of Lester Creek Guard Station was still open to the public.

The American Red Cross opened an evacuation shelter at the Elk's Lodge in Mountain Home for any residents displayed due to the fire.

Meanwhile, a 56-mile section of Highway 20 between Fairfield and Mountain Home was reopened Friday afternoon. However, individuals traveling in the area are urged to be aware and cautious of firefighting equipment and crews operating in the area.

However, additional roads were closed earlier in the day as the fires moved toward Prairie. The closures as of 6 p.m. Friday include:

Road closures now in place include:

- Blacks Creek Road off I-84 at the Ada County and Elmore County line

- Indian Creek Road off I-84 at exit 71

- Pine/Featherville Road off Highway 20

- Anderson Ranch Dam south on the Dixie Creek Cut-off to Highway 20

- Prairie Road and Cow Creek Road heading north from Highway 20

A lightning storm Thursday evening triggered a series of wildfires with some of them burning together. Several fires that burned together located south of the South Fork of the Boise River were renamed the Pony Complex Fire. The range fires that burned together north of the South Fork were renamed the Elk Complex Fire.

U.S. Forest Service officials estimate that both fires have burned a total of 30,000 acres on both sides of the river.

The Elk Complex Fire is moving north and northwest toward Prairie. Meanwhile, the Pony Complex Fire is moving in a north, northeast direction toward Bennett Mountain Road.

Smoke from both fires is moving in a north, northwest direction with heavy smoke reported in Garden Valley, Idaho City and the upper Boise Foothills.

Earlier in the day, crews were able to contain other fires triggered by Thursday's lightning storm. The Mile Marker 99 Fire and Air Fire were contained with a majority of fires burning in the Boise National Forest showing no containment issues.

Stage I fire restrictions remain in effect, which prohibit people from using a campfire outside of an agency designated recreation site until further notice. Details are available online at www.blm.gov/id.