REXBURG — Evacuees have firefighters to thank that they had homes to return to late Monday night after a wildfire exploded west of Rexburg.

The 1,300-acre blaze, known as the Maze Fire, that erupted near the Sportsmen’s Club Gun Range off Highway 33 Monday afternoon triggered mandatory evacuations, a massive multi-agency assault and a desperate race against time before fire crews finally turned the tide.

On Tuesday Madison Fire Chief Corey Child delivered the news everyone had been waiting for — no injuries, no homes lost.

“It was mostly fencelines suffering fire damage,” Child said. “We were able to save all structures.”

The mandatory evacuation order that sent residents fleeing Monday night has been lifted, though the Sheriff’s Office is urging those who returned home not to let their guard down.

“While there is no immediate need to evacuate, residents should remain prepared in case fire conditions change,” the Sheriff’s Office said. “Please continue to monitor official updates, have a plan in place, and be ready to leave if conditions warrant.”

The fire isn’t out.

As of Tuesday, 50 firefighters remained on the scene. They expected to work the fire’s interior for the next three to four days. Full containment is expected by 10 p.m. Wednesday — if conditions cooperate. The cause of the blaze remains under active investigation.

This is the second fire in as many years to burn through the 4000 North area. A lightning strike caused the earlier blaze.

Monday’s fire moved with terrifying speed. Igniting around 4 p.m. near the Sportsmen’s Club Gun Range, the Maze Fire exploded to roughly 1,100 acres by nightfall, sending flames racing toward homes and forcing authorities to make increasingly urgent calls for residents to get out.

The Madison County Sheriff’s Office first placed residents on 6000 West on Ready status under the Ready, Set, Go! program — a warning to prepare to evacuate. Within hours, as the fire kept pushing toward houses, that warning became an evacuation order.

“Do NOT wait,” the Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook. “Leave the area now and follow all directions from law enforcement and fire personnel.”

All residents on the west side of 6000 West, from Highway 33 to 4000 North, were ordered to immediately evacuate. An emergency shelter was established at the Henry’s Fork Stake Center at 1508 W. 3000 N. for those displaced by the wildfire.

The response to stop the fire was massive. More than 40 fire trucks, dozens of firefighters and multiple air tankers and firefighting helicopters converged on the scene. The Bureau of Land Management, South Fremont Fire Department and fire departments from throughout East Idaho rushed in to back up Madison Fire Department crews.

Child singled out the mutual aid response for praise.

“We very much appreciate our mutual aid partners from the surrounding counties and want to thank them for their quick response in helping attack this fast-moving fire,” he said. “We also appreciate the cooperation of the public in continuing to avoid the area and for those in the evacuation area for following evacuation orders and all instructions from fire personnel and law enforcement.”

The fire scene including 6000 West remains closed to everyone except firefighters and authorized emergency responders. Authorities are also warning drone operators to stay grounded — a single drone near the fire can force firefighting aircraft to halt operations entirely, potentially grounding the air support that helped save those homes.

“If you fly, they can’t,” the Sheriff’s Office said in its warning to drone operators.

As of Tuesday the evacuees were back home and every structure remained standing.

But the Maze Fire is still burning, and the men and women who stopped it once will remain on the scene until the flames are out.