The Interstate 15 corridor through Southeast Idaho saw several wildfires on Thursday and Friday that scorched hundreds of acres.
A blaze that ignited along Interstate 15 on Malad Summit around 5 p.m. Friday resulted in a nearly 20-mile stretch of the freeway from Malad to the Downey area being shut down for about 30 minutes. On Thursday the wildfires near McCammon burned so close to homes that firefighting aircraft were called in to successfully stop the flames.
The local wildfires on Thursday and Friday mostly ignited along or near Interstate 15.
The biggest fire on Friday was the 2:30 p.m. blaze that ignited at the top of Malad Summit. It began as a car fire but the flames spread to nearby brush and ended up scorching about 20 acres, the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office reported.
The fire resulted in authorities temporarily shutting down Interstate 15 and evacuations were almost needed when the flames approached some nearby homes.
But firefighters from Malad and the U.S. Forest Service were able to stop the fire before it reached the structures. The fire was contained by around 6 p.m. and was extinguished by late Friday night, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
Fortunately none of the wildfires on Thursday and Friday caused any injuries or evacuations. The only structures damaged were some mailboxes and fences, authorities said.
Three smaller wildfires were reported along Interstate 15 in south Pocatello around the same time as the Malad Summit blaze and a fourth small wildfire ignited on I-15 just south of Pocatello around 7:45 p.m. Friday. The Pocatello area fires resulted in traffic delays on the freeway as firefighters rushed to extinguish the flames.
The South Valley Connector in south Pocatello was temporarily shut down by police as a precaution because of the nearby Friday afternoon fires.
As of 9:30 p.m. Friday all of the Pocatello area fires appeared to be contained or extinguished.
Firefighters said it’s likely the three Friday afternoon blazes in south Pocatello were caused by a vehicle producing sparks as it drove along the freeway.
The brush fire on I-15 just south of Pocatello on Friday evening was caused by the wheel of a pickup’s trailer coming off and creating sparks that ignited some roadside grass, authorities said. The driver of the pickup stopped and reported the fire.
Friday was very similar to Thursday when firefighters responded to three blazes near Interstate 15 in the McCammon and Inkom areas and one along Highway 30 east of McCammon.
But Thursday’s wildfires collectively scorched over 600 acres, much more than Friday’s blazes.
The four fires were initially reported just after 5 p.m. Thursday. One fire was reported in the median of Interstate 15 near Jensen Road between McCammon and Arimo, another broke out north of Inkom near Sorelle Road, what firefighters called the Middle Fire ignited about two miles north of McCammon and another blaze named the Crystal Fire was reported east of McCammon along Highway 30.
All of the blazes that ignited Thursday have since been contained although firefighters remained at some of the fire scenes until Saturday to extinguish hot spots.
The biggest of Thursday’s blazes were the Middle and Crystal fires, which each burned about 300 acres, authorities said.
The Middle Fire required retardant drops from a large firefighting jet and a single engine air tanker to stop the spread of the flames, according to Dean Hazen of the Inkom Fire Department.
Rough terrain that included lava rock made accessing the Middle Fire difficult, said Hazen, adding that firefighters tried to use a bulldozer at the scene but couldn’t maneuver it over the unstable earth.
High winds fueled the fire but eventually died down, Hazen said. The calmer winds and firefighting aircraft allowed firefighters to get the upper hand on the blaze, he added.
“We were lucky the wind died down and that we had air support drop the retardant,” said Gregg Mix, an Inkom firefighter.
Firefighting aircraft also helped stop the spread of the Crystal Fire along Highway 30.
The Lava Hot Springs Fire Department took the lead in battling the Crystal Fire but soon received help from other fire departments and federal agencies.
Lava Hot Springs Fire Chief Ken Fagnant said, “We worked to protect some radio tower facilities that we did some protection around and got containment of the fire around 8:30 p.m. (Thursday). Federal fire crews brought engines and a dozer and we had two aerial drops from small single engine tanker planes.”
There were homes near the Middle and Crystal fires but firefighters were able to successfully keep the flames away from the structures.
Pocatello Valley, Inkom and McCammon firefighters extinguished the wildfire near Sorelle Road that burned about an acre, according to Pocatello Valley Fire Chief Karen Aguilar. Arimo firefighters battled the blaze in the median of Interstate 15 near Jensen Road, which scorched just under a few acres, Fagnant said.
Downey, North Bannock, Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service firefighters and Bannock County Search and Rescue also responded to Thursday’s wildfires.
Authorities reported that although Thursday’s wildfires burned near Interstate 15 and Highway 30, both roads remained open to traffic.
Earlier Thursday, the Pocatello Fire Department extinguished a small brush fire along South Fifth Avenue near the South Valley Connector. The fire was reported by multiple people including a state trooper around 2:45 p.m.
That blaze scorched less than an acre before firefighters extinguished the flames. South Fifth Avenue was partially blocked for about 15 minutes because of the incident.
Authorities haven’t commented on what could have caused Thursday’s fires but it seems vehicles were a likely factor since all of the blazes ignited along roads.
With scorching temperatures forecast to continue through the Labor Day weekend and into this coming week, authorities are urging people to be careful regarding what they throw from their vehicles and to not drive anywhere with unsecured towing equipment or chains.
The National Weather Service has issued weekend red flag warnings, signifying the potential for wildfires to ignite and quickly spread, as well as heat advisories calling for temps in the 90s in East Idaho.
The Idaho Transportation Department issued a press release late Friday afternoon urging motorists to “take extra care while driving through Idaho this weekend with fire danger high amid unseasonably warm temperatures.”
ITD provided the following advice to drivers to reduce the possibility of causing a wildfire:
- Ensure tow chains on trailers are not dragging which can cause sparks.
- Make sure tires on vehicles and trailers are in good condition for highway driving. A blown tire can cause the wheel rim to kick sparks into dry grass.
- Never throw cigarettes or other combustible materials out of a vehicle.
- Never throw glass or other litter out of a vehicle. Glass bottles and other objects can reflect or focus the sun’s rays causing ignition.
- Do not park your vehicle over dry grasses when you pull off a road. The exhaust and other hot portions of the undercarriage can ignite a fire.