Boundary Fire grows to 84,756 acres

SALMON, Idaho (KIFI) - The lightning caused Boundary Fire that started on August 10 has burned 84,756 acres and is 68% contained.

A point protection strategy is being applied to the Boundary Creek Fire, which is burning in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. The desired end state for this incident is that the fire will have taken its natural course while values‐at‐risk and firefighters have been protected.

With slightly higher temperatures and lower relative humidity, firefighters saw another increase in fire activity across the fire.

In the Sulphur Group, firefighters completed the burning operation north of the creek at Sulphur Creek Ranch. Today, crews will continue to improve upon their fire lines and wrap up the operation. Fire extended from Blue Bunch Mountain to the north end of Ayers meadow Thursday.

Crews worked to take advantage of the fine fuels in the meadow to contain the fire as much as possible. It was a relatively quiet day in Seafoam Group. A squad of firefighters headed to Ruffneck Peak Lookout to observe fire activity on the west side of the fire. While there was still some smoke in Lime Creek, Mountain King Mine was still looking good. Crews also cleaned up Rapid River Road, where they found fire had burned a vehicle bridge to the point that it is no longer passable.

Pistol Group crews spent much of the day working with Air Operations on logistical resupply missions. Additionally, firefighters were able to get excess equipment from Thomas Creek Airstrip returned to the Incident Command Post. In Jackass Gulch, where fire has been persistently active the last few days, only 30 percent of the area’s perimeter appears to still exhibit residual heat.

With current and projected fire activity, the Forest will email a Boundary Fire update every other day. The InciWeb page will continue to be updated daily.

Closure Order #04‐13‐21‐116 remains in effect on the Salmon‐Challis National Forest. To view the closure area and
map, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/scnf/alerts‐notices. Rafters with a Middle Fork of the Salmon launch permit can contact 208‐879‐4108 for information about how closures will impact their trips. Hunters with special permits within the closure area are encouraged to call the Salmon office of Idaho Fish and Game at 208‐756‐2271 and visit their website at http://idfg.idaho.gov.

Boise National Forest Area and Road Closure Order #0402‐05‐88 is in effect for Fir Creek Campground, Blue Bunch Trailhead, and the areas surrounding Forest Service Roads 579A and 579A1. Visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/boise/alerts‐notices to view the closure area and map.

Backcountry airstrips are open to general aviation. Pilots should coordinate with Central Idaho Dispatch and monitor the backcountry frequencies. Nationally, there are 33 uncontained large fires being managed under a full suppression strategy and 31 large fires managed under a strategy other than full suppression.