Nearly 90,000 acres have burned in Idaho’s Woodhead Fire. Crews also battling Grouse Fire
Nearly 90,000 acres have gone up in flames in the Woodhead Fire, a blaze that 305 firefighters and other personnel are now battling in western Idaho.
The fire, which is burning about 20 miles northwest of Cambridge, started Sept. 7. It is 39% contained as of Friday afternoon and is expected to be fully contained by Oct. 7.
Fire behavior has been kept to moderate levels recently due to the strong smoke inversion in the area, according to an update on InciWeb, which tracks fires throughout the United States.
“An additional crew is needed to conduct and hold burnout operations to protect multiple threatened subdivisions and to prevent fire from spreading towards the city of Council,” the update noted. “Currently, there is almost 60 miles of uncontrolled fire edge. The crew is needed for the next 2-4 days until cooler weather moves in.”
Poor visibility is making it difficult to monitor the fire’s location from the air, according to the update. Fire is spreading northward and eastward, while minimal fire movement is expected to the south or west because of suppression efforts in those areas, the update said.
The fire is burning mostly in short grass and brush, along with sagebrush and pockets of mountain mahogany, according to InciWeb.
The cause of the Woodhead Fire is still under investigation.
Grouse Fire burns in Sawtooth, Boise national forests
Another Idaho fire, the Grouse Fire, is burning about 35 northeast of Glenns Ferry, Idaho. That fire started Sept. 6 and has burned about 4,000 acres. According to InciWeb, that fire has crossed into the Sawtooth National Forest near its boundary with the Boise National Forest, and officials from both forests are coordinating the fire’s management.
“For public health and safety, a multi-forest closure is in place for the entire fire area,” the InciWeb update states. “The incident commander and all firefighting personnel appreciate the public’s cooperation in staying out of the forest closure area and the Incident Command Post.”
Some campgrounds in the Sawtooth forest, including Abbot, Chaparral, Bird Creek, Shake Creek and Baumgartner, are closed. The Boise forest’s Elks Flat Campground and some other dispersed camping locations remain open.
About 200 people are working to contain the Grouse Fire, which was at 30% containment as of Friday afternoon. The cause of that fire is also unknown and still under investigation. It is expected to be fully contained by Oct. 1.
“Conditions will continue to facilitate spread to the south, east and west,” according to the update. “Winds are expected to increase, which increases possibility of spread.”
The cause of the Grouse Fire is still under investigation.
To track all Idaho fires and fires throughout the West, go to inciweb.nwcg.gov.
This story was originally published September 18, 2020 at 12:27 PM.
