A fire in the Sawtooth National Forest is slowly moving toward homes, cabins and a church camp, the U.S. Forest Service said Saturday.

The South Barker Fire was still more than three miles from the homes, but property owners and firefighters were taking steps to safeguard their properties just in case, a spokeswoman said.

The fire is burning trees, sagebrush and grasses in the Fairfield Ranger District about a mile and a half east of Featherville, near the Elmore-Camas county line and about halfway between Boise and Ketchum as the bird flies. The lightning-caused blaze had scorched an estimated 34,100 acres by Saturday, up 100 acres since Friday's estimate.

Lightning started the fire a month ago. No structures have been reported damaged, no injuries reported, and no private property damaged so far. For the most part, Forest Service officials have been letting it burn to help maintain forest health. The blaze likely will continue until fall rain and snow put it out.

The fire is slowly advancing east-southeast toward 59 homes and cabins and 56 other structures, including outbuildings, in the Fleck Summit Road area near the South Fork Boise River, said Kathy Thompson, a public information officer. The area includes a United Methodist Church camp, she said.

The residences range from cabins to large homes. "It's a getaway kind of place," she said.

"Crews are doing things to keep it advancing east in the event of a pretty good wind, which is forecast for Tuesday," she said.

Crews laid hose east of the river Saturday to wet the ground near the buildings, she said. Forest Service crews and homeowners have started trimming limbs from trees, cutting down trees abutting homes or hanging over them, and cutting weeds, Thompson said.

The area is closed to the public, but property owners are being allowed to go to their properties.

Forest Road 227 is closed from Featherville to Big Smoky junction. Forest Road 012 is closed above Big Smoky junction into the Upper South Fork Boise River residential area. The closure includes Trail 070 along Paradise Creek and all trails to the west.

Crews Saturday were trying to secure the fire edge on the south-southeast perimeter north of Forest Road 227.

Trees were catching fire in timber in upper Weeks Gulch and Burnt Log Creek on the east edge of the fire and Big Water Creek on the southwest edge.

David Staats: 377-6417