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Porphyry Fire

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Unit Information

500 N Mission St 
McCall, 
Idaho 
83638 
500 N Mission St 
McCall, 
Idaho 
83638 

Incident Contacts

Payette Fire Information
Phone: 208-634-0820
Hours: Daily, 8a.m. to 8p.m.

This incident is no longer being updated.

Aerial recon of the fire took place on October 19 with no hot spots remaining.  The fire is not expected to grow and a season ending weather event will move this fire to a contained/out status.

No area or trail closures are in effect for this fire.  Backcountry users are responsible for knowing and preparing for the hazards involved with entering an active fire area.

The fire is at 2,930 acres. Containment of the fire is at 40%, which meets the containment goals for the portion of this fire located outside of the Wilderness Area.  This fire is now in patrol status.

The Porphyry Fire started within the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area and is a fire start from the August 11th thunderstorms that passed over the Payette National Forest.  On August 18, the fire moved to the west and out of the Wilderness Area. 

This fire is under a partial Suppression Strategy with Point/Zone Protection being conducted at noted values at risk and containment line being constructed at locations where it is needed.  The focus of our firefighting strategy and tactics is to protect values at risk and stop the fire from further west, north, and south progression.

Initial attack on this fire used aerial assets to try to keep the fire in check, but due to the steep and rugged terrain, firefighters were not able to safety get to the fire location. Significant growth of the fire took place on August 18 toward Hettinger Ranch/South Fork Ranch, but it remains in the drainage just to the north of the ranch.  Additional firefighters and engines were placed at the ranch to implement structure protection measures and look for opportunities to steer the fire to the north away from the ranch and act as a containment line to stop progression up-river.  Additional tactics are being assessed to hold this fire to as small a size as safely possible.


To achieve point protection goals, crews completed fire line construction on the south and southwest areas of the fire and conducted burnout operations throughout the night to remove fuels and keep the fire from spreading further to the south and impacting the Hettinger Ranch, and to hold the fire from moving further west into the China Mountain area.  This burn operation used an UAS (drone) which work well in attaining the desired outcome in securing the fire.  A burnout of fuels was also conducted at the Porphyry Bridge and was successful in protecting the structure – the bridge is no longer in danger.

 

Basic Information
Current as of Wed, 11/09/2022 - 16:31
Incident Type Wildfire
Cause Lightning
Date of Origin
Location West of Porphyry Creek, 9 miles east of Warren, ID. Just north of Hettinger Ranch.
Incident Commander Type 4 Incident Command
Incident Description Wildfire
Coordinates 45° 15' 57'' Latitude
-115° 29'
4
'' Longitude
Current Situation
Size 2,930 Acres
Percent of Perimeter Contained 40%
Significant Events

No reported growth on fire; infrared mapping hasn't occurred as it has not been necessary since September 8th.

Outlook
Projected Incident Activity

Fire growth is not expected. Fire managers continue to patrol the fire.

Remarks

40% containment describes the portion of the fire edge outside of the wilderness area. Containment goals for portions of the fire located outside the Wilderness area have been achieved.