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The Boise National Forest now reports the East Fire is now estimated at 1,690 acres in size and is about 10 miles away from Cascade.
Officials are urging the public to stay away from the fire area as they work on a containment plan with road and trail closures.
Acting Public Information Officer on the fire, Kim Drake, said the fire is active on all flanks.
"They're trying to hold it at that East Mountain ridge line but some of it has crept down," Drake said.
"I don't believe managers expected it to grow that rapidly overnight, just because they thought the humidity recoveries would come and kind of calm it down. Maybe they were thinking it would grow, double in size, but not as much as it did," Drake continued.
The fire was previously estimated at 100 acres last night. At nearly 1,700 acres, it is still 0% contained.
Drake said this fire is primarily being fought with air tankers as terrain is steep and no safety zones have been established. Air crews don't fly at night, though air operations have resumed in the daylight.
"It's really thick. There hasn't been a lot of logging activity or prescribed burning in that area and the trails and roads are just non-existent," Drake explained.
Shortly after the fire’s discovery, there were seven single engine air tankers and four large air tankers dropping retardant continuously until it was too late to fly. There is currently one Hotshot crew, and a second 20-person handcrew assigned to the fire, with another two Hotshot crews expected to arrive today. Two Type 1 helicopters, which have the greatest water carrying capacity, are also assigned to the fire. A strike team of five fire engines and two water scooper airplanes have also been ordered.
"They're just scouting roads and trails to see if they can safely even walk in to the fire," Drake said of crews on the ground.
The cause of the blaze is unknown, however Drake said they are looking into the possibility of a lightning strike incident, "It is common for maybe a single tree to be struck. So it's just kind of smoldering and creeping around until the right wind or sun and a couple days of drying...and then it might get to the ground and throw some embers out, which could potentially be why we didn't see it for so long."
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Excessive heat yesterday may have contributed to the growth of the East Fire on East Mountain near Cascade. Current size is estimated at around 125 acres with 0% containment. Here's a shot of the glow from Tamarack Resort's Summit Cam.
The Cascade Ranger District is responding to the fire that is burning in heavy timber to the East of Forest Road 409 and South of Forest Road 405. Aircraft and resources are currently responding. According to the Cascade Ranger District, a closure area near the fire will take effect later today for public safety. The approximate location is 10 miles northwest of Cascade.
A full suppression effort is taking place. The Cascade Ranger District says seven single engine air tankers, four large air tankers, two type 1 helicopters and 1 hotshot crew are working the blaze. Two more hotshot crews will arrive to the fire today.
The cause is under investigation. The Valley County Sheriff is reporting the fire started around 4:15 Wednesday. By 7:30 p.m. U.S. Forest Service officials with the Boise National forest confirmed the fire had grown to 100 acres in size.
We're working to find more information on this incident. This story will be updated.
