Smoke covers Salmon as fire reinforcements arrive

SALMON, Idaho (KIFI) - A blanket of smoke rests over Salmon and the area surrounding it as the Moose fire continues to grow.

According to the US Forest Service, crews have already conducted a burnout to slow the fire's growth to the east. There was a spot fire east of Highway 93 Monday afternoon. But crews were able to quickly contain the spot fire to 50 square foot area.

Now rangers and firefighters in the Salmon-Challis National Forest are attempting to fully assess the situation.

"Right now it's at 12,283 acres and it's 0% contained," said Forests Service PIO Amy Baumer. "We have a Type one incident management team that has arrived today and will be taking command of the fire tomorrow morning. We just got done briefing them. So they're up on the current situation."

Helicopters and fire engines are fueling up in preparation to combat the fire, and a pilot car is escorting vehicles through the area on Salmon River Road.

The Salmon Valley Baptist Church has already helped displaced families find shelter.

 "Last night we had six folks stay on campus..." said local Pastor Mike Palmer. "As of right now, the sheriff has the evacuation still in place. And according to what the fire does this evening, we're prepared for more people this evening if need be."

Strangers, friends, and relatives have also opened up their homes to people and livestock fleeing the fire.

As the fire continues to grow, the Forest Service cautions us that it could spread in any direction.

The very dry conditions provide easy fuel for the fire and erratic winds have become their main concern.

"The fire has been growing in all directions. The river corridor causes erratic winds. If it's(the wind) coming from a specific direction on the ridge top, it swirls and blows in all different directions down in that corridor. That affects the fire behavior in which direction it grows. So we can't specifically say it's growing in one direction or another," said Baumer.

For now, the region northwest of Salmon is considered at a high fire danger.

Fire officials have set up command in a former grocery store in Salmon, as they await the new team of firefighters in command. They expect to be up and running by Wednesday morning.