Car on fire sparks 8,000-acre wildfire along I-84 near Boise on Saturday
A car fire set off a wildfire that affected traffic on Interstate 84 near Boise and prompted evacuations, officials said Saturday afternoon.
The fire, called the Mile Marker 65 Fire because of its location about 8 miles south of Boise, started shortly before 1 p.m., according to WildCAD, a wildfire dispatch system. The fire grew to about 8,000 acres by 7 p.m.
Bureau of Land Management fire officials told the Idaho Statesman that the fire is related to a reported vehicle fire in the same area. That incident was reported near Blacks Creek Road around 12:15 p.m., according to Idaho Transportation Department 511 records. It’s unclear what caused the vehicle fire.
Fire and Ada County Emergency Management officials warned of lane closures and possible interstate shutdowns around 4 p.m. Bureau of Land Management officials closed Orchard Access Road for firefighting efforts.
The Bureau of Land Management said in a social media post that it had no estimate on when the fire would be contained or controlled.
Residents to the east and south of the fire were under Level 3 evacuations, the Office of Emergency Management said on social media. Level 3 is the most extreme evacuation stage, also referred to as “Go now!”
It’s unclear how many residences were affected by the evacuation order. The Statesman has reached out to county officials for more information.
Firefighters were using multiple methods to extinguish the blaze, including aircraft, fire engines and water tenders, bulldozers and other equipment. Resources from the Mountain Home Rangeland Fire Protection Association were on the fire Saturday afternoon, and additional resources were on route from Twin Falls, according to the Bureau of Land Management.
This story was originally published July 19, 2025 at 4:37 PM.
