Early morning fire burns trees and brush east of Rigby

RIGBY, Idaho (KIFI) - Downed power lines are being blamed to have caused a brush fire east of Rigby early Thursday morning.

It happened near 4500 E and 300 N in Jefferson County at about 1 a.m.

Central Fire Firefighters say when they arrived they saw a wall of flames on the north side of the road at approximately 4565 N.

Two or three homes were nearby and the homeowners self-evacuated, they said.

Central Fire District press releases said, "The area of the fire was in very dense trees and undergrowth. We had flames on the ground and fire in the treetops up to 60 feet high. Firefighters had to wait for the Fall River Power Company to make sure power was shut down for firefighter safety. The fire ran west to east approximately an 1/8 of a mile and north from the road about 20 feet into the heavy brush. After confirming that the power was shut down, we were able to aggressively fight the fire and put it out."

Firefighters work to contain a brush fire east of RIgby in the early morning hours today. pic.twitter.com/Ib0cCFXLZw

— Idaho State Police (@ISPeasternIdaho) July 22, 2021

They said strong gusty winds and broke tree branches is what caused the power lines to come down.

No homes were damaged and no one was injured.

Firefighters put out hot spots until 5 a.m.