Jared Parker of Sugar City maintenance stops traffic on ID-33 as helicopter runs for water from Henry's Fork River.

ITD planning saves the day          

Eclipse preparations in District 6 accounted for almost every scenario — even a ricocheting bullet.

On Aug. 20, the day before the eclipse, D6 crews helped put out a fire and protect motorists on Idaho Highway 33 west of Rexburg.

Here’s what happened:

A ricocheting bullet from a man who was target practicing in the desert south of ID-33 about eight miles west of Rexburg started a brush fire Sunday, Aug. 20, about 4 p.m.

An official of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), standing 100 yards away, witnessed the ignition and notified his office in Idaho Falls.

Second on the scene was a deputy from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, who spotted the fire and requested help from ITD’s Clark Moon, of Sugar City maintenance, who had just finished helping a motorist change a flat tire on his camper three miles away.

Moon radioed for help, and ITD personnel in the area arrived in minutes.

ITD, BLM, Madison County, Jefferson County, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Idaho State Police – all joined in the emergency response.

Overhead, a BLM plane dropped fire retardant.

More than half of the Rigby maintenance shed helped quench the fire using its water truck and hydroseeder.

Idaho Falls, Mud Lake, Dubois and Sugar City maintenance crews also helped with fire suppression and traffic control.

ITD’s quick response made all the difference, Moon said. Staging ITD water trucks for the eclipse proved highly beneficial.
ITD Maintenance Foremen Camilo Serrano and Scott Robinson oversaw agency contributions and coordination.

Crews soaked shoulders of Idaho 33 at locations where the blaze approached and topped off BLM water trucks.

Traffic-control teams closed the road for 2.5 hours, set up a detour, and guided motorists through the fire zone. Crews extinguished the brush fire by 7 p.m. before it could jump the highway, averting a major wildfire.

“ITD was super helpful,” said Austin Catlin, BLM incident commander. “We greatly appreciated their assistance and the coordination with other agencies.

“Everything went well, with good communication. We typically don’t have that much support.”

BLM firefighters stayed overnight to monitor hotspots and then watched the eclipse from the blackened ground while enjoying the smokeless sky Monday morning.

“Please thank your people,” Catlin said. “Their assistance averted what could have been a disaster for eclipse watchers and local residents, too.”

ITD planning and implementation paid off. Forward thinking and careful preparation ensured safety, mobility and opportunity for eclipse chasers and everyone else, said Robinson and Serrano.



Published 09-01-17