Latest on Mud Lick, Iron and Haynes Fires
SALMON, Idaho (KIFI)- Crews continue to make progress fighting three fires burning in Salmon-Challis National Forest.
On Saturday, crews announced both the Haynes and Iron Fires are 95% contained, and have burned 472 and 133 acres respectively.
The Mud Lick Fire has burned 19,265 acres and is 85% completed.
The Forest Service posted the following explanation for what that means.
"Each fire is unique. As such, multiple strategies used are used in fire management. In some instances, such as the Haynes and Iron Fires, which are considered full suppression fires, percentage of containment is reported.
This represents the amount of fires edge that has been effectively “contained” with control lines completed around the fire perimeter that are expected to stop the fire's spread. Other fires, such as the Mud Lick Fire, a point-protection and confine-and-contain strategy may be used. In these cases, there may not be an effective opportunity to create fire control lines directly at the fires edge. This may be due to steep terrain and lack of access.
Lines are then established ahead of the fire in efforts to effectively confine and contain the fire at these locations in the event the fire grows. In addition, the Mud Lick Fire is partially burning in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness.
Here fire officials focus on protecting specific values such as structures and property but may not create constructed fire lines.In these situations, the percentage of planned control lines that have been constructed or completed is reported. Hence, the term percentage “complete” is shown rather than percentage “contained"."
