More areas north of Salmon near the Moose Fire were evacuated around 9 p.m. Wednesday as the fire crossed Ridge Road and moved downhill toward the city limits. It's now within 3 miles of U.S. Highway 93 at Stormy Peak Road.

Wednesday's evacuations followed Tuesday's evacuation of the Beartrack Mine and Leesburg, according to members of the Great Basin Incident Management Team 5, who are managing the fire.

Hugh Agro, president and CEO of Revival Gold, which owns the Beartrack Mine, told the Messenger in a Thursday email that the mine site was not damaged when the fire passed through.

"Fortunately the Beartrack Mine buildings are out of the trees," Agro said. "All Revival Gold personnel and equipment are safe and secure."

Exploratory drilling work in the Beartrack-Arnett fields has temporarily been suspended, Agro said, "to make room for the firefighters on the road. We are extremely grateful to those on the front line working to protect critical infrastructure and the community."

Agro said he and other Revival Gold officials share the concerns of Salmon-area residents about the integrity of the Salmon watershed as the fire grows closer.

The fire has now impinged on the north end of the city of Salmon's watershed, north of Jesse, according to fire managers.

Evacuations are recommended for the nearby Blackbird and Idaho Cobalt mines above Salmon. The power line feeding Panther Creek, Leesburg and the three mines was de-energized around 3:45 p.m. Tuesday because of the fire. Sprinklers were activated Wednesday at Leesburg, the Leesburg Cemetery, along Ridge Road, on Moose Creek near Daly Creek and along log decks on Moose Creek and Stormy Peak Road.

Fire managers said Thursday that the Moose Fire has burned 122,612 acres since it started on July 17. It's been determined the fire was started by a person or people, but the specifics of its origin aren't yet clear.

Ten crews totaling 650 people, five helicopters, 30 fire engines and 33 pieces of heavy equipment are battling the fire.

Winds of up to 40 mph on Wednesday afternoon resulted in extreme fire behavior. Strong winds were in the forecast for Thursday and Friday, but a cooling pattern is predicted by Saturday, possibly bringing relief to the fire zone.

Many roads and trails in the Salmon-Challis Forest remain closed because of the fire and stage 1 fire restrictions are in place on all public lands in the area.

The Lemhi County Sheriff's Office has added more zones to its evacuation set and go status levels. Current details about evacuations can be found online at https://bit.ly/LemhiCountyEvacs.