Single Publication

Fire Location 

• Dollar: 18 miles East of Cascade, Idaho
• Snag:  11 miles East of Cascade, Idaho

Size 

• Dollar: 1,340 acres
• Snag:  8,536 acres

Containment 

• Dollar: 0%
• Snag:  0%

Personnel 

• Dollar: 0
• Snag:  72

Start Date 

• Both Fires: 8/5/2024 

Cause 

• Both Fires: lightning 

Incident Commander 

Tony DeMasters, Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team #2

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Summary: The Dollar and Snag Fires on the Boise National Forest started on the evening of August 5th after a lightning storm passed through the area. An incident management team is delegated to the West Mountain Complex which includes the Boulder, Snag, and Dollar Fires on the Boise National Forest and the Wolf Creek Fire on the Payette National Forest. Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team 2 took command of the West Mountain Complex today at 6:00 a.m. The team is using a mix of full suppressions strategy, confine and contain, and point/zone protection on these lightning-caused fires. Please avoid high traffic fire areas, slow down while driving, and give the firefighters room to do their work.

Weather | Anticipated Fire Behavior: Yesterday, cloud cover in the morning and smoky skies through the afternoon indicated stable weather in the Cascade area. A cooling trend is expected in the next few days with decreased humidity and temperatures dropping to the upper 60s/low 70s. Dry thunderstorms are expected over the weekend, with a low chance of wetting rains in the area.

Actions: Resources continue scouting the fire perimeters. A single Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) will be in place over both fire areas. Firefighter and public safety as well as the protection of values at risk remains the top priority of the team through all suppression efforts. 

Dollar Fire: The Dollar Fire saw little movement yesterday. This fire is burning in a rocky bowl and bordered by fire scars to the east that may continue to slow fire progression. The fire is slowly spreading northeast toward the South Fork Salmon River and west towards the North Gold Fork Trailhead and Boise National Forest Road 402. 

Snag Fire: The Snag Fire is burning in steep terrain with heavy fuel loading. The fire is burning to the southwest towards Horsethief Reservoir and to the north and northeast towards Warm Lake Highway. A structure protection plan is being developed and structures are being assessed at Warm Lake, along Warm Lake Highway, and at Horse Thief Reservoir. The team is identifying water sources for suppression efforts and water-handling equipment is being deployed to the Warm Lake area. 

Important Information: The Valley County Sheriff’s Office issued a “ready” evacuation order for Warm Lake residents and the North Shore Lodge at Warm Lake on August 7th. This map can be found on Inciweb: https://tinyurl.com/bddhpaeu. A second “ready” evacuation order was issued on August 8th for the Horsethief area, including the YMCA Camp, and areas of Scott Valley. This map can also be found on Inciweb:  https://tinyurl.com/4vfj657x. The relevant areas are outlined in purple.

Ingress along the Warm Lake Highway on the east side of Scott Valley is closed. Currently, westbound traffic toward Cascade along the Warm Lake Highway is allowed. Residents and recreators in the area will be notified of the closure. Residents not currently at their homes will be granted one-time access into the Warm Lake area to retrieve animals and other property if they can provide a valid address. Anyone who remains in the area should be prepared for a full closure of the Warm Lake Highway and have enough fuel to exit the area via the Deadwood area or Lick Creek Road. As a reminder, the South Fork Road remains closed due to construction unrelated to the Snag Fire.

Review the READY, SET, GO evacuation procedure for Valley County: https://www.co.valley.id.us/ReadySetGo

For timely information on evacuations, sign up for Valley County’s emergency alert: https://www.co.valley.id.us/CompleteEmergencyNotificationandAlerting.

The Boise National Forest has issued closure order # 0402-04-100 for the National Forest System (NFS) roads, trails and lands around the Snag Fire. For a map and a more detailed description of the closure please visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/boise/alerts-notices

Stage 1 Fire Restrictions have been issued for the West Central Mountains Fire Restrictions Area on the Boise National Forest.  For more information on the restrictions and a very helpful interactive map, visit https://www.idl.idaho.gov/fire-management/fire-restrictions-finder/.