Fire controlled southeast of Idaho Falls

The East Bench Fire southeast of Idaho Falls near the Comore Loma area has been controlled.

The fire started late Thursday afternoon. Precautionary evacuations were implemented in the 1 mile radius of Henry Creek Road and Long Bow Bend, but those living in the area can now return home if they decided to leave.

Interim Fire Chief Duane Nelson said officials have not confirmed the cause, but they do not suspect foul play. It started off Sunnyside, he said.

Firefighters got a handle on the fire early Friday morning. Nelson said they created lines to get the fire to come to them so they could safely fight it. That’s why it looked big in the middle of the night, he said — that’s when they were getting a handle on it. Before then, they couldn’t safely access it because of the terrain.

Nelson said no structures were damaged though the fire did come right up to some homeowners’ property.

More than 60 firefighters from Bonneville County, Idaho Falls, Ammon, Shelley, Ucon and the Bureau of Land Management helped fight the fire.

Fire officials now estimate the size of the fire was more than 1,000 acres.