Fire east of Featherville restricts recreation

Officials are allowing the 34,000-acre blaze started Aug. 7 by lightning to burn.

BY DAVID KENNARD - dkennard@idahostatesman.com

Published: 09/06/08


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A forest fire about 1 miles east of Featherville grew by about 50 acres Thursday and kept some recreational areas closed this weekend.

The South Barker Fire was sparked by lightning on Aug. 7 and is being allowed to burn by the National Forest Service for natural resource reasons.

The fire has burned 34,000 acres of Sawtooth National Forest in the rugged mountains east of Featherville.

According to forest officials, crews continued to secure fire edge on the south and southeast perimeter in the Big Water Creek drainage north of Forest Road 227.

Crews also continued work in the Upper South Fork Boise River subdivision, using a chipper to on Forest Service land to convert trees and brush to chips to lessen the intensity of the fire.

Meanwhile, a 26-person crew worked to contain the 28-acre Johnson 2 Fire south of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area.

A one-acre spot fire was detected by an infrared flight in the head of Decker Creek and will be suppressed, forest officials said.

ROAD CLOSURES

Some areas of the Fairfield Ranger District in the Sawtooth National Forest remain closed.

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. Private landowners can still access their property, but not Forest Service land beyond their property.

The expanded closure includes Trail 070 along Paradise Creek and all trails to the west.

PRESCRIBED BURN

Crews from the Bureau of Land Management Boise District will conduct a prescribed burn in the Owyhee Mountains beginning Saturday.

The 3,943-acre project, called the Indian Meadows Prescribed Burn, is 25 miles south of Silver City. This operation to reduce juniper and improve animal habitat is expected to last up to three days.

David Kennard: 377-6436

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