Boise Foothills fire was started by kids playing in a fort

A 200-acre wildfire that burned above Pierce Park Friday evening was accidentally started by a pair of children playing in a backyard fort, Boise Fire Department said in a release.

The fire was contained at 3 a.m. Saturday. There were no injuries or structural damage, according to Boise Fire Department spokesperson Char Jackson.

There were no mandatory evacuations, though some families opted to leave the fire-infested area.

Alan and Mary Schwartzman saw the blaze nearly in their backyard and heeded the advice of authorities on scene. They traveled a quarter mile down the road and watched until the fire subsided. Their home was undamaged.

“It looks like a scene out of World War I, where the British were charging across no man’s land,” Alan Schwartzman said of the surrounding area. “Everything is pretty much blackened and burned to the ground.”

The Kuna, Meridian, Eagle, Star and Middleton fire departments joined Boise in containment efforts. The Idaho Bureau of Land Management and National Guard assisted as well.

“We give them 10 thumbs up,” Schwartzman said. “You never appreciate these guys until you need them.”

Fire crews responded to the area of Pierce Park Lane and West Hill Road for the grass fire and multiple crews were on still scene at midnight.

Pierce Park Lane, north of Hill Road, was closed.

The American Red Cross of Idaho was on standby with volunteers in case shelter was needed, according to the agency’s Twitter account.

This story was originally published September 1, 2017 at 9:15 PM with the headline "Boise Foothills fire was started by kids playing in a fort."