Single Publication

The West Mountain Complex includes five fires- Boulder, Snag, Wolf Creek, Dollar, and Goat Fires. Read our daily update for more information. Scroll to the bottom of the page for PDF versions of the daily update, the daily map, and the daily smoke report. 

QUICK FACTS

Fire  |  Location  |  Size  |  Containment  |  Start Date

Boulder  |  9 miles SW of Cascade  |  1,948 acres  |  9%  |  7/24/2024

Wolf Creek  |  5 miles W of Donnelly  |  1,154 acres  |  71%  |  7/24/2024

Snag  |  11 miles E of Cascade  |  19,563 acres  |  0%  |  8/5/2024

Dollar  |  18 miles NE of Cascade  |  1,666 acres  |  0%   |  8/5/2024

Goat  |  11 miles SE of Cascade  |  981 acres  |  0%   |  8/5/2024

Cause: Lightning (All Fires)

Total Incident Personnel: 773

Weather | Anticipated Fire Behavior: 

A Red Flag Warning has been issued today from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Lightning and strong gusty winds are expected as well as scattered showers and thunderstorms. There is a 30-40% chance of wetting rains. Some portions of the area may receive significant rainfall while others receive little. A chance of thunderstorms and showers will extent into Friday with drier, warmer, and breezier conditions expected over the weekend. 

Boulder Fire:  https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/idbof-boulder-fire

No spotting was observed yesterday, and the northern border of the fire is continuing to hold. Fire crews will focus on extending and completing containment lines on the southeast corner of the fire. Fire managers are planning for firing operations northwest of the 421E Road when weather conditions become optimal to strengthen the containment line. At that time, additional smoke may impact the area, however fire managers expect increased containment over the next few days. 

Snag Fire:  https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/idbof-snag-fire

The Snag Fire continues to show the most fire activity of all the fires being by the managed by the incident management team. More spotting was observed yesterday along the Warm Lake Highway and additional engines and water tenders are staffing along the highway. The fire area contains heavy dead and downed fuels, creating challenging conditions for firefighters. Live powerlines along Warm Like Highway have been deenergized to allow firefighters to engage in suppression tactics around electrical infrastructure. Residents can follow Idaho Power on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/idahopower/ for updates.

Two key objectives are to hold the fire at the highway and to prevent fire spread west onto nearby state and private property. Firefighters will continue suppression tactics along the highway and will improve control lines along the southwest perimeter of the fire. Fire managers expect fire activity to continue today and more firefighters and equipment are planned to arrive and mobilize, as crews on the Wolf Creek Fire are reassigned to the Snag Fire.

Wolf Creek Fire: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/idpaf-wolf-creek-fire

Fire activity remains minimal, and containment is now at 71%. Firefighters continue to focus on mopping up, which consists of carefully inspecting and checking the ground near the fire line to detect, dig out, and extinguish any remaining smoldering areas that could reignite. As fire activity diminishes, resources will be shifted to the Snag Fire while others will begin rehabilitation on indirect containment lines.

Dollar Fire:  https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/idbof-dollar-fire

The Dollar Fire is slowly spreading in all directions, however previously burned areas and rocky outcrops are limiting fire spread. Aerial resources are continuing to monitor fire behavior. Fire managers are assessing the need to establish a control line on the southwest corner of the fire near the North Fork Gold Fork Trailhead. Ground crews may be ordered to contain the fire and prevent spreading west into the Gold Fork drainage. 

Goat Fire:  https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/idbof-goat-fire

Aviation resources are monitoring fire spread to the north towards the Snag Fire and to the east towards the Middle Fork Payette drainage. The western perimeter of the Goat Fire borders the 2007 East Fire, which may slow fire progression. 

SNAG FIRE EVACUATION 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 7. The map can be found on Inciweb: https://tinyurl.com/42auxnk8.  A second “ready” evacuation order was issued on August 8 for the Horsethief area, including the YMCA Camp, and areas of Scott Valley. This map can also be found on Inciweb, with the relevant areas outlined in purple:  https://tinyurl.com/4vfj657x

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

For timely information on evacuations, check out your county’s emergency alert system. 

• Valley County: https://www.co.valley.id.us/CompleteEmergencyNotificationandAlerting
• Adams County: https://public.alertsense.com/SignUp/PublicUser.aspx?regionid=1077

ROAD CLOSURES

Warm Lake Highway Closure: The Valley County Sheriff’s Office has closed Warm Lake Highway due to the Snag Fire. The Warm Lake Highway is closed at the Horsethief Road intersection east toward Warm Lake and from the Johnson Creek Road intersection west toward Warm Lake. Scott Valley residents will be allowed access. For updates on county closures visit: https://www.co.valley.id.us/departments/SheriffsOffice.

FOREST CLOSURES

August 12, 2024 update: The Boise National Forest has modified or expanded their wildfire closures to address public and firefighter safety and respond to increased wildfire growth. This new closure area begins at the south end of the Dollar/Oro (Snag) fire closure area and continues south to Crouch and the Banks-Lowman Hwy, and east to the 579, 563 and 582 roads.

Wolf Creek Fire Closures: On the Payette National Forest, a closure including popular National Forest System roads around the Wolf Creek fire such as: sections of NFS #1763 (West Mountain Jeep Trail), #835, #206, #326. On the Boise National Forest, Forest Road #435 (Anderson Lake Road) was closed on August 1. 

Boulder Fire Closures: The Boise National Forest has issued a closure order #0402-04-98 for National Forest System (NFS) roads, trails and lands encompassing the Boulder Fire. The closure was enacted to protect public safety and support fire suppression activities. The closure includes Blue Lake and Snowbank Mountain Road (#446) along with all #404 and #421 system roads. 

For maps and more detailed descriptions of the closures on the Payette National Forest, please visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/payette/alerts-notices

For maps and more detailed descriptions of the closures on the Boise National Forest, please visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/boise/alerts-notices 

Fire Restrictions: Stage 1 Fire Restrictions have been issued for the Payette Fire Restrictions Area on the Payette National Forest and 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/

Important Links

• Payette National Forest: https://www.fs.usda.gov/payette
• Payette National Forest Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PayetteNationalForest
• Boise National Forest: https://www.fs.usda.gov/boise
• Boise National Forest Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BoiseNationalForest
• Idaho Department of Lands: https://www.idl.idaho.gov/fire-management/