Single Publication

Incident Commander: Rick Connell, Northern Rockies Complex Incident Management Team 5

Location:  2 miles southwest of Grandjean, ID

Start Date: 07/24/2024      

Cause: Lightning

Size:  35,631 acres

Completion/Containment: 10%

263 Total Personnel; 5 hotshot crews; 2 type 2 hand crews; 19 Engines; 1 bulldozer; 1 water tender; 1 Skidgen.

KEY MESSAGE:

For Custer County, currently notification zone 1 is in “GO” status. Please visit Custer County Sheriff’s Facebook page for a map of the zones. Hwy 21 will be closed so the evacuation route will be Hwy 21 North to Stanley and Hwy 75. An emergency operation center is located behind the Stanley City Hall for more information. At this time the City of Stanley and all of Zone 2 will remain in the Ready status.

A Red Flag warning continues today. The Wapiti Fire has seen extreme fire behavior and has seen active growth to the north toward the Stanley Lake area. For residents in the Stanley Lake and HWY 75 area, please utilize your local Custer County notification system and follow instructions of emergency responders. Hwy 21 is closed east of Lowman from the Warms Springs Airstrip Road to Stanley (MP 92 to 130) due to wildfire activity from the Wapiti Fire. There is no direct public access from the highway to surrounding areas including Grandjean, Bull Trout, Cape Horn, Boundary Creek, or Seafoam. Traffic to/from the Stanley area can use Hwy 75 as an alternate route. No estimate for Hwy 21 reopening is available currently. The Boise, Salmon-Challis and Sawtooth National Forests have issued an updated closure area today.

The Wapiti Fire information phone number has changed to 208-593-7132, and the Middle Fork Complex will retain the phone number for Bulldog and Nellie Fires at 208-992-3045. Saturday morning at 6 am the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 1 will assume command of the Wapiti Fire and the contact information will remain the same as today. The Bull Trout Fire transitioned back to the Boise National Forest today.

CURRENT STATUS/PLANNED ACTIONS:

Yesterday, crews were able to access Grandjean and Hanging Valley areas to continue securing around structures throughout the night. Fire activity moved into Wolf Creek drainage, and toward the Hanging Valley Community. Firefighters held fire line around the community through strategic firing operations and operated sprinklers to cool down the areas around structures.

Today crews will assess the Warm Springs area to inventory structures and hazards. North and northeast of the fire, crews have been working in the wildland urban interface to identify hazards such as fuel tanks and firewood piled near structures. Firefighters will use these assessments to develop the best locations to place fireline, hoses, and sprinklers to support wildland fire actions. Crews thinned and cleared vegetation around Stanley Creek area and will continue similar actions in the Iron and Goat Creek communities today. Firefighters will install pumps, hoses and sprinklers around the improved areas in the wildland urban interface today. Crews are working 24 hours a day, utilizing helicopters and fixed wing aircraft to cool down hot spots during the day. Firefighters continue to work in extreme fire weather conditions and are providing for public and firefighter safety by moving public out of areas threatened by the fire.

WEATHER AND FIRE BEHAVIOR:

A Red Flag Warning is in effect again today for low humidity and gusty south winds ahead of an approaching cold front. The inversion will likely lift earlier in the day, possibly as soon as 11 am. When the inversion lifts, south winds will increase to 5-12 mph and may become erratic with gusts up to 40 mph.  Relative Humidities will fall to critical levels through mid-evening. Forecasted weather creates a potential for extreme fire behavior with active spread, group torching and spotting up to 5 miles. South/southwest winds will push the fire north.

CLOSURES, RESTRICTIONS, AND EVACUATIONS:

Custer county utilizes ready set go, Red Alert system – For Custer County Text CUSTER to 99411 to enroll in CodeRED (click here) or enroll online at https: /public.coderedweb.com/CNE/BF28E45537FF to receive updates through Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) set your phones to receive alerts by going into settings and then Notifications and turning on your Emergency Alerts. Custer County Sheriff's Facebook Page Link (click on for updates and Important Information)

Hanging Valley, Summer Homes and the Sawtooth Lodge remain in evacuation. An area closure order issued by the Sawtooth and Boise National Forests (Closure #0402-05-95) is effective as of August 22, 2024. This Order is for public and firefighter safety during fire suppression efforts of the Wapiti Fire. For Boise County, Evacuation information will be posted on the Boise County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.

For closure information, please visit Boise National Forest’s website – Alerts & Closures. Or visit the fire’s InciWeb page. Smoke will be visible and could impact roadways, please follow the instructions of emergency responders and drive safely.

The Boise National Forest, Idaho Department of Lands, and Bureau of Land Management are in Stage 1 fire restrictions on state, endowment, private and federal lands within the West Central Mountains Fire Restrictions Zone. For more information on the restrictions and a map visit:

https://www.idl.idaho.gov/fire-management/fire-restrictions-finder/