Idaho’s Lava Fire grows to prompt evacuations, road closures. Here’s the area affected
The Lava Fire and Boulder Fire combined this week in the Boise National Forest, prompting evacuation orders, road closures and additional firefighting teams to assist with the situation.
A news release Wednesday said the combined wildfires to the southwest and west of Lake Cascade have burned through a combined 78,457 acres. The Lava Fire is so big that it also has burned into Payette National Forest land.
Brian Lawatch, public information officer for the Boise National Forest, said more road closures were issued for the area to ensure public and firefighter safety. However, roads 422 and 644 will remain open along the west perimeter of the closed-off area.
“The road closure includes Forest Service Lands north of the 601 Road and all the way to the northernmost point of Lake Cascade. This includes land on both the Boise and Payette National Forest,” he said. “There was a previous closure order in place for both the Lava and the Boulder Fire, so this closure supersedes that.”
So-called slop-overs continue to be an issue for fire crews, according to the release. This happens when “the fire edge crosses a control line or natural barrier intended to confine the fire.”
Evacuation orders were issued Sunday as the fire worsened. The Gem County Sheriff’s Office issued Level 3, or “Go,” notices to residents in the Sage Hen Reservoir area, and for the Third Fork Road and Second Fork Road that are north of Nesbitt Lane.
The Adams County Sheriff’s Office issued the same notices to residents south of South Grays Creek and along Little Weiser Road in Indian Valley.
The Sweet-Ola Highway is closed at the High Valley intersection in Ola, with Gem County deputies staffing road closure checkpoints, according to the release.
Additional information on evacuation notices and road closures is available on the Incident Information System website.
