UPDATE: Crews making progress to contain range fires

Cooler temperatures, light winds and cloud cover on Wednesday aided crews battling a series of wildfires in Elmore County and surrounding areas.

Two fires reported in Elmore County on Tuesday that were linked to lightning from a thunderstorm that rolled through the area that evening.

The Cold Fire, located approximately 11 miles northwest of Glenns Ferry near Bennett Mountain, had grown to 1,800 acres Wednesday afternoon with aircraft and ground crews brought in to battle the flames.

The Grape Fire had grown to 175 acres on Wednesday. Located northwest of Prairie and south of Arrowrock Reservoir, it's burning in steep terrain in an area that was involved in the 1992 Foothill Fire.

Rocky terrain in the area was hampering efforts by the Bureau of Land Management to deploy dozers as part of the effort to contain the fire, said Carrie Bilbau, a spokesperson with the BLM. However, increased humidity Wednesday morning along with rain earlier in afternoon helped slow the fire progression and was expected to be contained by noon Thursday, she added.

The location where the fire is burning is considered important sage-grouse habitat and high priority for suppression, Bilbau said. On Wednesday, multiple air resources responded, including seven single engine air tankers and a helicopter from Twin Falls to aid ground crews working through the rocks to save pockets of sage brush that is critical for sage grouse survival, she added.

BLM resources currently working the fire include four engines, two dozers, one water tender and one helicopter. The Mountain Home Rangeland Fire Protection Association was also providing assistance. No structures were threatened, and no injuries were reported.

A downed powerline triggered the Crane Fire on Tuesday. Located off Highway 78 in the vicinity of Crane Falls, it had grown to 300 areas Wednesday morning but was not as active as the Cold Fire, Bilbau said.

Fire suppression efforts were initially slowed by the very sandy conditions, but crews made progress to contain the blaze. Resources on scene of the Crane Fire included two engines, one dozer and a water tender.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Forest Service is continuing to fight the Grape Fire northwest of Prairie and south of Arrowrock Reservoir that grew to 175 acres on Wednesday. The fire is burning in steep terrain in an area that was involved in the 1992 Foothill Fire.

The fire made several small runs through the grass slopes up the ridge throughout Wednesday as firefighters worked to flank the blaze. Runs like these are expected due to the steep topography and light fuels, although no structures are threatened, U.S. Forest Service officials said.

The Grape Fire was one of four wildfires linked to more than 30 lightning strikes that touched the ground in the southern part of the Boise National Forest early Tuesday.

The other fires include Mores Fire near Pilot Peak. Now estimated at 66 acres, the fire was pushed uphill by gusty winds and spotting from one clump of trees into adjacent clumps leaving dirty or unburned fuel in-between.

Crews continued to make progress digging hand line and laying out hose lines across portions of the fire. Forest service officials expect it'll take several days for fully control the blaze, in part, due to the fact that it's located at high elevation.

Because of the fire, officials have closed Pilot Peak Road (Forest Service Road 380) from the junction of State Highway 21 to Colter Summit. Bear Run Road (Forest Service road 314) is also closed from the junction of Forest Trail 680 to the Pilot Peak Road along with Forest Trail 690.

Other fires triggered by Tuesday's thunderstorm was the Grayback Fire located 2 1/2 miles south of Idaho City near Shaw Creek that grew to 20 areas on Wednesday with a pair of type II crews assigned to that fire.

A hand line constructed Tuesday evening into Wednesday held through much of the day. The fire continues to burn mid-slope in a dense forested area where the crowns of the trees are touching each other.

Due to the close proximity of this fire to Idaho City and the amount of fuel surrounding it, the fire continues to be the highest priority fire for the Boise National Forest. However, no structures were immediately threatened.