Ross Fork Fire Daily Update
September 11, 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: 36, 717 Acres

Location: Sawtooth National Forest, Idaho

Fuel Type: Timber Litter/Timber/Short Grass

Thick smoke across the Ross Fork Fire area will continue to limit fire growth again today but if the smoke clears, we may see active fire behavior this afternoon. The smoke has put a damper on the fire for the past two days, allowing firefighters to make great progress securing the edges of the perimeter, especially on the eastern side. Crews will “mop-up” those edges today, from Alturas Lake and south, along the South Fork of the Salmon River. Mop-up is the process of extinguishing all heat sources along as much of the edge as they can safely reach, to create a line to stop additional growth. Hotshot crews are hiking into the forest above the Headwaters of the Salmon River to look for opportunities to stop the fire there. Crews continue to look for and contain any small spot fires on the east side of the Salmon that were caused by embers last Thursday.

Successful completion of a burnout—a process that removes unburned fuel to stop fire progression—was achieved yesterday near the Alturas Creek Road and Highway 75 junction. Crews will patrol and mop-up the edge of the burnout to look for and extinguish any additional heat sources. This burnout is meant to stop future fire spread to the north and east. However, preparations to protect structures in Cabin Creek, Pole Creek, and other areas are continuing just in case.

Smoke limited aviation operations on Saturday. Helicopters will conduct water drops today if conditions permit. As the smoke clears and temperatures rise, active fire behavior is expected to pick up.

With wildfire danger increasing across South-Central Idaho, the USDA Forest Service and Idaho Department of Lands will initiate Stage 1 fire restrictions on the Sawtooth North Zone, effective today. The full order, which encompasses lands north of Highway 20 to the northern most Sawtooth National Forest boundary situated in Blaine, Camas, and portions of Custer, Elmore, and Boise counties, can be found at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd1059189.pdf. Stage 1 fire restrictions apply to all state, state endowment, and private land in the North Sawtooth Restrictions Zone that lie within the boundary of the Sawtooth National Forest.

TRAFFIC AND DRIVING CONDITIONS: HWY 75 has been open continuously for the past three days but still may be subject to intermittent closures 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 Galena area is in “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

692,

Hand Crews

13,

Engines

50,

Helicopters

9

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