Crews working to create containment lines around Hayden Fire

LEADORE, Idaho (KIFI)- Fire crews are continuing to work on making containment lines around the Hayden Fire. The fire has burned over 9,660 acres as of Tuesday morning and 0% contained. The wildfire is located 18 miles west of Leadore in the Salmon-Challis National Forest.

Chris Burger, a spokesperson for the Hayden Fire, says part of the reason they haven't been able to contain the fire is simply due to the challenges the forest presents.

"The Salmon-Challis National Forest is steep, rugged terrain, and it has high fuel loadings at the mid elevations, which means there's a lot of timber, a lot of dead and down, there's a lot of available fuel. And it makes fighting the fire difficult. Because firefighters and public safety are always our number one priorities on these fires. And so the reason it is 0% contained is that we are still constructing containment lines around the fire, and given weather conditions and the activity that the fire has displayed, it's tough to make a determination until we have several days of good progress before we start saying we've got percentages contained," Burger said.

Burger says many of the crews are prepared for any situation the fire may present.

"Two days ago, when the fire got up and burned really aggressively, some of our primary containment lines became no longer valid. The fire got around the end before it was completed or spotted over them. And when that happens, that forces us to reevaluate and we have to sometimes literally pull resources back, shuffle the deck and redirect them to our alternate or contingency plans. However, there are many spots on the fire where the primary fire line is still an option," Burger said.

While there is no evacuation order in place currently crews are working with the Lemhi County Sheriff's office to make sure plans are in place in case evacuations are needed.

"The team has set up evacuation zones on the east side of the fire, so the Lemhi Valley . And in order to figure out what zone you're in and to understand, ready, set, go, the public should go to the Lemhi County Emergency Services or the Lemhi High County Sheriff's Department website or Facebook pages that are explained there and will help people understand what zone they're in. When they may need actually to evacuate," Burger said.

There is an area closure in the Salmon-Challis National Forest around the fire. Burger says people should become aware of the closure and avoid the area for their safety and the safety of the crews working on the fire.