Hayden Fire 47% contained
LEADORE, Idaho (KIFI) - The Hayden Fire started on July 19 and is located in the Lemhi Range, 18 miles west of Leadore, Idaho.
The fire has grown to 18,085 acres and is burning in steep and difficult terrain with spruce/subalpine fir containing a heavy dead/down timber component.
The fire is 47% contained, and the cause is undetermined.
A community meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 1 at 7 p.m. at the community center in Leadore.
“Firefighter safety is always the number 1 objective, with that in mind we’ve decided to use a confinement strategy on certain areas of the fire,” Deputy Incident Commander Jeff Knudson said. “This doesn’t mean our priorities have changed.”
This strategy presents the best option for firefighter safety and successful containment. With the work that was accomplished yesterday, the fire perimeter is 47% completed, utilizing a combination of containment with hand and dozerline and confinement tactics utilizing natural barriers.
Winds will decrease significantly over the fire Tuesday. It will still be hot and dry but no red flag warning. Monsoonal moisture will be pushing into the area Wednesday night with potential for wetting rain on Thursday.
The fire continues to consume dead and down fuels within the fire perimeter. On Monday, air resources were very successful corralling spot fires inside the line and introducing fire to broaden the burned area along the fire lines. Burning operations will be used to further deepen the primary line from Tobias Creek northwest to Boulder Flat. Progress was made on the eastern flank as crews continued ignition operations on the west side of Mill Creek tying areas burned by the spot fires into the fires edge.
The Lemhi County Sheriff’s Department in coordination with the Salmon-Challis National Forest and Great Basin Team 7 have pre-identified evacuation zones. Please visit the Lemhi County website at lemhicountyidaho.org for more information.
Stage 1 Fire Restrictions are in effect on the Salmon-Challis National Forest (SCNF), Idaho Department of Lands, and Bureau of Land Management jurisdiction. The SCNF also has an area closure order. For more information, please visit the Salmon-Challis National Forest’s Alerts and Notices webpage.
