INKOM — Nearly a week into spring and with snow still covering parts of Southeast Idaho, Inkom Volunteer Fire Department Chief Johnny Ketner has already seen his share of wildfires this year.

    One such fire occurred Tuesday afternoon. A permitted and prescribed burn just south of Inkom near Lower Rock Creek Road got out of control and grew into a wildfire. It was too much for Inkom firefighters to extinguish alone. Its the third prescribed burn gone wrong so far this year.

    Chief Ketner received a call at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, alerting him about the wildfire and that the landowners needed assistance from authorities. Ketner knew the city didn’t have enough resources to contain the blaze, so he called McCammon, Chubbuck, Lava and Pocatello Valley firefighters for assistance.

    The wildfire was driven east up a valley by the wind. Wind fueled the flames, which nearly claimed two structures and charred more than 50 acres of grassland Friday before they were contained by nearly two dozen firefighters shortly before 6 p.m.

    “Right as we got there the flames were headed toward two structures and we had to move quickly,” Ketner said. “We were able to save both structures from the flames, thankfully — and no one was injured, either.”

    Ketner said even though it’s still cold out, and people don’t usually associate wildfires with this time of year, prescribed burns, campfires and any other open flames exposed to the high winds can get out of control quickly.

    “Take a look at the weather before you plan a prescribed burn or plan to have any open flames, because all it takes is a second on a windy day for them to get out of hand,” Ketner said.

    With controlled burning, also called hazard-reduction burning, typically being conducted during the cooler months to reduce fuel buildup and decrease the likelihood of serious hotter fires, this is the time of year people need to start being more vigilant, Ketner said.

    He urged people to just use common sense when holding a prescribed burn and to check the weather to ensure it is not overly windy.