Murphy wildfire contained, crews knocking it down

Firefighters anticipate they will control a wildfire near Murphy by late afternoon Monday, according to the Bureau of Land Management.

Crews fought a 180 acre blaze Sunday that crossed from farmland into public lands. The fire was burning about 15 miles south of Murphy.

Four new fires sparked overnight after thunderstorms Sunday night. The Shoofly and the Maprock fire are each about 150 acres. The Deadman fire is about 1.5 acres and the South Canal fire is about a half acre. All of those, except Maprock, are expected to be controlled by Monday evening.

Boise District BLM responded to the fire around 1 p.m. with four engines, two dozers, one water tender and a single engine air tanker, BLM officials said. Grandview Rural Fire Department was also assisting.

Crews fully contained the blaze around 10 p.m. Sunday. Now they’re just knocking down the burn and working to control it.

There were no injuries and no danger to any structures, as the fire started near farmland and moved into the desert, according to the spokesman.

The release said this year’s fire season has been off to a slow start but is beginning to pick up rapidly in recent days, with 10 fires reported in the district since Friday. Officials urged residents to take into account high temperatures and dry conditions when accessing public lands.

Officials initially estimate the blaze expanded beyond 450 acres, but once they contained it, found it was only about 180 acres.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

This story was originally published June 5, 2016 at 5:07 PM with the headline "Murphy wildfire contained, crews knocking it down."