Gov. Little declares fire disaster emergency, deploys Idaho National Guard to Big Grass Fire

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) — Gov. Brad Little has declared a fire disaster emergency in parts of Idaho and authorized the deployment of the Idaho National Guard to assist with the Big Grass Fire in Owyhee County as wildfire activity intensifies across the state.

The emergency declaration authorizes additional state resources to support wildfire suppression, monitoring, response and recovery efforts. It also allows the State Emergency Response Team to help cover extraordinary wildfire monitoring and response costs under Idaho law.

The governor's office said unusually hot and dry weather, severe drought, dry lightning and human-caused ignitions have created extreme wildfire conditions across much of Idaho. Forecasts indicate those conditions are expected to continue in the coming weeks.

Little also authorized Idaho National Guard personnel and equipment to assist firefighters battling the Big Grass Fire in Owyhee County.

"Idaho's brave firefighters are working around the clock to protect lives, homes, and communities under extremely challenging conditions. My declaration taps into additional state resources and enables us to deploy the Idaho National Guard to support firefighting efforts and protect Idahoans," Little said.

Maj. Gen. Tim Donnellan, adjutant general of Idaho, said the Idaho National Guard is prepared to support state firefighting efforts as wildfire activity increases.

"The Idaho National Guard is proud to answer the Governor's call to support Idaho Department of Lands firefighters across Idaho," Donnellan said. "As this year's wildfire season becomes more demanding, the Idaho National Guard is honored to serve alongside our local, state and federal partners to help protect lives, property and communities across Idaho."

Idaho Department of Lands Director Dustin Miller said the declaration will help the state quickly mobilize resources and strengthen coordination among local, state and federal agencies.

The Idaho Office of Emergency Management said it is coordinating with counties and the Idaho Department of Lands to fulfill resource requests during the wildfire season.

As of Tuesday, 530 wildfires have burned 138,812 acres across Idaho's wildland fire jurisdictions. Those totals include:

• Idaho Department of Lands: 135 fires, 4,447 acres
• Bureau of Land Management: 158 fires, 111,625 acres
• U.S. Forest Service: 131 fires, 4,026 acres

The Idaho Department of Lands said firefighting resources are already under significant strain. Nationally, wildfire preparedness is at Preparedness Level 5, while the Northern Rockies and Great Basin regions are at Preparedness Level 3. Active fires in Oregon and Washington are also competing for many of the same crews, engines, aircraft and incident management teams Idaho may need.

State officials are urging Idahoans to help prevent new wildfires by following fire restrictions, avoiding activities that could ignite dry vegetation, fully extinguishing campfires, securing trailer chains and immediately reporting smoke or fire.