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FIRE UPDATE

As firefighters neared containment on the Benwalk Fire (see below) this week, a one-vehicle crash on Interstate 84 sparked another fire near the East Boise Port of Entry. ITD’s Incident Response team aided with westbound traffic control for several hours as I-84 was closed, reopened and then closed again for a time as shifting winds turned the fire back toward the interstate.

Ironically, the driver who lost control of the vehicle and caused the fire recently was evacuated from the Colorado Springs area where hundreds of homes burned in a wildland fire. She was en route to Ontario, Ore., when she rolled the Subaru SUV and it burst into flames. The driver was not injured in the crash or ensuing fire.

Wildfire forces 4 1/2-hour closure of Interstate 84

A 22-mile segment of Interstate 84 was closed and several businesses near Mountain Home were evacuated Monday evening as a wildfire swept through the region.

The lightning-caused Benwalk fire was reported to the Bureau of Land Management at about 4:15 p.m. Reduced visibility and wind-carried embers prompted ITD to close the interstate between mileposts 90 and 112 (west of Mountain Home to Hammett) at 8:23 p.m. It reopened at 1:10 a.m. Tuesday, according to the State Communications Center, located in Meridian.

BLM sources said the fire began 6-7 miles north of Glenns Ferry, approximately 35 miles east of Boise. Embers crossed the interstate near Exit 99 and sparked small fires on the south side of the interstate.

A multi-agency response included the BLM, Idaho State Police, ITD, Elmore County Sheriff’s Office and the Mountain Home Rural Fire District. Tuesday morning about 100 firefighters remained on the fire lines.

Containment was projected for Tuesday afternoon.

BLM crews battled about seven other wildfires in southern Idaho early this week, including fire east of Twin Falls grew to nearly 200,000 acres and threatened homes in the Castleford area. The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Alert for the area Monday afternoon because of extreme temperatures, low humidity and the prospects for high winds and scattered lightning storms.

The fire danger in most of southern Idaho ranged between high and very high, according to the BLM.

Motorists and people engaged in outdoor recreation are urged to use extreme caution because of the dry conditions and potential for additional wildfires.