Crews Continue to Fight Snake One, Falls Creek and East Star Lake Wildfires in Idaho
BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- Fire crews were making progress fighting Idaho's three largest wildfires, and two were expected to be completely contained by Wednesday, officials with the National Interagency Fire Center said.
Erratic winds were fanning flames at the nearly 2-square-mile East Star Lake fire, but crews with the Bureau of Land Management were still optimistic, the Boise-based fire center reported.
The fire, about 10 miles north of Eden, was burning in grass and sage and officials said it threatened winter habitat for big game species.
The 2-square-mile Falls Creek fire, about 25 miles northeast of Challis in the Salmon-Challis National Forest, was also nearing full containment. Fire managers estimated that battling the blaze had cost about $1.3 million so far.
The largest Idaho blaze, the Snake One fire, has grown to about 39 square miles in the Payette National Forest. Fire managers said flames still threatened some homes and grazing allotments and the more than 660 workers fighting the fire were hampered by the region's steep, rugged terrain.
Still, officials said they hope to have that fire contained by Friday.
The cost of fighting the Snake One fire is estimated at about $1.4 million so far.
No major injuries have been reported in the three fires and no homes have been burned.
