Ross Fork Fire Daily Update
September 9, 2022

Fire Information: Email: 2022.rossfork@firenet.gov Phone:208-329-6044 daily from 7 a.m. - 9 p.m. Sawtooth National Forest
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sawtoothnationalforest

YouTube:https://youtu.be/Ll7iJz55hnIInciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8375

Containment: 2%

Cause: Lightning

 Acreage: 34, 508 Acres

Location: Sawtooth National Forest, Idaho

Fuel Type: Timber Litter/Timber/Short Grass

A community meeting will be held tomorrow, Saturday September 10, 2022 at 5:00 p.m., at Forest Service Park in Ketchum. It will be livestreamed as a Facebook Live event on the Sawtooth National Forest Facebook Page (see above link).

Wind pushed the fire to the southwest Thursday afternoon sending embers out of the Frenchman Creek area and across the Salmon River. Firefighters attacked those into the night and will be out again today to secure them and to look for any additional “spot fires.” Heavy smoke from the Ross Fork, and other fires, is expected to linger over the Sawtooth Valley today. The smoke does lower temperatures and help raise humidity which will moderate some fire activity, allowing firefighters safer opportunities to directly engage the fire.

Today, crews will continue to “mop up” in the Smiley Creek and Skyline residential areas to ensure that there is no continued fire threat there. Mopping up means extinguishing all the hot spots that can be safely reached along the black edges of the fire perimeter to prevent additional fire spread. Across the entire fire area, firefighters are taking steps to prepare homes and forest infrastructure such as campgrounds so they can be better defended if the fire advances toward them. They are also preparing roads and trails to use as both primary and secondary fire control lines.

Firefighters and helicopters assisted the Sawtooth National Forest with a small fire near Galena, which was named the Cherry Fire. The approximately 50’ by 50’ fire was contained and the cause is under investigation.

Weather will be cooler and less breezy today, with smoke lingering through much of the day. Air operations will continue as conditions allow. HWY 75 stayed open all of yesterday due to the weather conditions and firefighting efforts enabling safe travel through the area.

TRAFFIC AND DRIVING CONDITIONS: HWY 75 may be closed intermittently for public and firefighter safety. The latest updates on road closures can be found at https://511.idaho.gov/

CLOSURES AND RESTRICTIONS: Closure order 0414-05-059 has been issued by the Sawtooth National Forest for areas surrounding the #RossForkFire on the Sawtooth National Recreation Area AND Fairfield Ranger District. Visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/sawtooth/alerts-notices for more information.

EVACUATIONS: The Blaine County Sheriff has placed the area surrounding Galena at “Set” evacuation status, meaning residents should be ready to leave on short notice. Pettit Lake Road, Cabin Creek Road, Smiley Creek, Sawtooth City and Alturas Lake remain in “GO” evacuation status, which means evacuate now. Updates from the Blaine County Sheriff’s Office can be found at https://www.blainesheriff.com/152/Sheriff or on the Blaine County Sheriff Facebook page.

TOTAL FIRE RESOURCES ASSIGNED:

Personnel

573,

Hand Crews

12,

Engines

30,

Helicopters

10

Visit our website at: www.fs.usda.gov/Sawtooth and on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/sawtoothnationalforest