Firefighters from multiple agencies continued to battle the Sand Mountain Fire near Harvard through Wednesday night. According to a press release from the Idaho Department of Lands this morning, the fire has burned 1,250 acres and was considered zero percent contained.
The release said firefighters found some success mechanically opening tree canopy near roadways, limiting the fire’s ability to leap across, and helicopters dropping buckets of water near the fires edge have slowed its spread. However, extreme fire conditions are expected to persist as wind speeds increase ahead of an oncoming cold front.
The Pine Creek Fire, which burned 542 acres just east of Juliaetta, is 90 percent contained. Fire crews will continue to monitor the fire until it is declared out by the incident management team, the release said.
