Fire Prompts Evacuation Order In Lemhi County

The sheriff of Lemhi County and the Salmon-Challis National Forest ordered a mandatory evacuation Tuesday for an area threatened by the Salt Fire.

The area involved is bounded by Panther Creek on the northeast and Camas Creek on the southwest, officials said. Sheriff Lynn Bowerman said areas in the order include: Meyer’s Cove, Ramshor, Yellowjacket, Moyer, the Bighorn Crags, the Cobalt townsite and the Idaho Cobalt Project.

A dispatcher with the Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office estimates there are around 100 people affected in the evacuation order. Search-and-rescue teams and law enforcement went door-to-door Tuesday to tell residents and recreationists to evacuate.

Several trail heads and parking areas just east of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness are included in the evacuation, but the wilderness is not part of the order.

People affected by the evacuation can go to the Salmon Valley Baptists Church on Cemetery Lane in Salmon. The Red Cross has set up an area there and can accommodate animals.

Firefighters said northeast winds were pushing the Salt Fire toward the Panther Creek drainage.

Lightning started the Salt Fire on Aug., 25. It has grown to 14,585 acres and is 17 percent contained.