EASTERN
IDAHO INTERAGENCY FIRE CENTER FIRE UPDATE
IDAHO FALLS, ID: Fire
weather planning forecast for southeast Idaho indicates isolated to widely
scattered dry thunderstorms possible this afternoon and evening and Thursday.
At 6 AM this morning Madison County requested
assistance on a 30-acre fire, 8 miles southeast of Rexburg. The dispatch
center responded by sending 5 engines.
As of 6 PM last night (08/16/2016), the Toponce
Creek fire was 214 acres (141 – State land, 73 – USFS). The fire was
likely lightning started and held over for some time before it was evident.
Yesterday, it was actively burning, group tree torching and spotting short
distances in conifer (largely subalpine fir) and mountain brush. The fire
started on State of Idaho lands (T6S, R37E, Sec16), just east of Buckskin
Meadow and burned east on to USFS managed land. The fire is 0.3 miles south of
the Ft. Hall Reservation boundary on the south slope of South Putnam, however,
because of the broken and discontinuous fuels it is not expected to readily
move north onto reservation lands. At this time, there are no structures
threatened and limited resource values directly at risk. No estimate of
containment or control has been made.
A significant amount of aerial retardant drops, along
with helicopter bucket work and ground crews are being used to actively contain
and suppress the fire. There are 8 smoke jumpers, 3 20-person crews, four
engines and 2 helitack crews on the fire.
