Update: (As of Oct. 13th 2:35 p.m. )
The Lava Fire remains at approximately 90% containment with just under 98,000 acres burned in total. Some 245 personnel continue to reinforce containment lines and mop up hot spots within the fire. the US Forest Service is also working alongside a Burned Area Response Team to help repair areas affected by the blaze. The public should be aware of closures as firefighters continue suppression efforts aimed at keeping residents and properties safe from future harm.
Gem County remains at a Level 1 "READY" evacuation status, which includes residents of South Grays Creek and the Mesa Area. Valley County zones 4-6 are also in the "READY" evacuation status.
Update: (As of Oct. 13th 2:35 p.m. )
The Lava Fire still sits at just 90% contained, with over 97,00 acres of burned area. Firefighters are continuing to work on containment lines in hot spots of the fire. Crews on scene are working to extinguish hot spots along the 435 and 435B roads on the northeast flank.
Evacuations: Gem County notice for residents south of South Grays Creek, along Little Weiser River Road in Indian Valley, North of South Grays Creek Road to Highway 95 and the Mesa Area are still in the Level 1 "READY" evacuation notice. The Valley County zones 4-6 remain in a Level 1 "READY" status.
Update: ( As of Oct. 10:20 a.m. )
Incident Commander Joe Powell, team lead for the Nevada Team 1, a Type Three Incident Management Team took over command of the Lava Fire at 8pm yesterday. Smoke will continue to be visible west of Lake Cascade. For the western flank crews have made progress in suppression repair.
Closures: Third Fork Road at Nesbitt Lane, Second Fork Road at Nesbitt Lane.
Evacuation: In Gem County, a Level 1 "READY" notice remains for the residents of South Grays Creek, the Mesa Area, and Little Weiser River Road in Indian Valley, North of South Grays Creek Road to Highway 95.
Valley County - Zones 4-6 remain in a Level 1 "READY."
UPDATE: (As of Oct. 3): The Lava Fire has reached 88% containment, but is still sitting at just under 100,000 acres.
A notable increase in containment is expected over the next several days near God’s Acres and Willow Creek on the northeastern and eastern sides of the fire.
A Level 1 “READY” notice remains for residents south of South Grays Creek, along Little Weiser River Road in Indian Valley, North of South Grays Creek Road to Highway 95, and the Mesa Area. Learn more on the Lava Fire 2024 Facebook page.
UPDATE: (As of Oct. 1): 541 personnel are assigned to the Lava Fire. On the Southeast side corner of the fire, crews are continuing to remove unneeded pumps, and hoses and other equipment.
Valley County Sheriff's Office has removed Zones 2 & 3 from Level 1 "READY" status. The Zones 4-6 remain in Level 1 "READY" status.
Residents of South of South Grays Creek, along Little Weiser River Road in Indian Valley, North of South Grays Creek Road to Highway 95 as well as the Mesa Area.
Gem County Road closures: The Third Fork Road at Nesbitt Lane, Second Fork Road at Nesbitt Lane.
UPDATE: (As of Sept. 30): The Lava Fire has reached over 97,000 acres with 82% contained. Over 530 personnel have been working to fight the blaze. Firefighters have been working to clean mop up for the fire line along the east side of the fire. On the Forest Road 653, North of Sage Hen Reservoir, crews are using an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) to detect heat.
Evacuations: A Level 1 "READY" notice remains for residents South of South Grays Creek, along Little Weiser River Road in Indian Valley, North of South Grays Creek Road to Highway 95, and the Mesa area.
Valley County Sheriff's Office has removed Zones 2 & 3 from Level 1 "READY" status. Zones 4 - 6 remain in a Level 1 "READY" status.
UPDATE: (As of Sept. 29): The Lava Fire is 72% contained, covering 97,747 acres, with 528 personnel on site.
Crews are working on the northeastern edge, expecting to secure containment west of God’s Acres in 3-4 days. A Type 1 helicopter is aiding operations with water drops from Lake Cascade, cooling hot spots.
Firefighters have made progress securing Anderson Creek on the northern perimeter, but it will take several more shifts to fully contain that side. The western perimeter is stable, and suppression repair teams are moving north. An Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) is being used on the southeastern edge to detect heat sources with infrared surveillance to support ground efforts.
Evacuations: A Level 1 “READY” notice is still in effect for residents south of South Grays Creek, along Little Weiser River Road in Indian Valley, from South Grays Creek Road to Highway 95, and in the Mesa Area.
The Valley County Sheriff’s Office has lifted the Level 1 “READY” status for Zones 2 and 3. Zones 4 to 6 still have a Level 1 “READY” evacuation notice.
Update (As of Sept. 25. 2 p.m.): The Lava Fire has burned over 97,000 acres and is 67% contained, with 660 personnel on the scene.
Monday is anticipated to be the hottest, dryest, and windiest day since last week's precipitation. There are no anticipated thunderstorms or erratic weather on Monday or Tuesday.
A Level 1 “READY” notice remains for residents south of South Grays Creek, along Little Weiser River Road in Indian Valley, North of South Grays Creek Road to Highway 95, and the Mesa Area.
Valley County Sheriff’s Office has removed all notices for Zones 2 and 3, but Zones 4 through 6 remain in a LEVEL 1 “READY” evacuation notice.
Update (As of Sept. 23): The fire did not grow in acreage overnight, however, crews were able to increase containment to 65%. There will be a community meeting in Indian Valley tomorrow (Sept. 24) set for 7 p.m. at the Indian Valley Community Hall.
Update (As of Sept. 22): The Lava Fire has burned 97,844 acres and is 61% contained, with 610 personnel on the scene.
A community meeting will take place in Indian Valley on Tuesday, September 24, at 7:00 p.m. at the Indian Valley Community Hall.
The Adams county sheriff's office has downgraded evacuation status to level 1 "Ready" for residents South of South Grays Creek.
The Valley County Sheriff's Office has removed zones 2 and 3 from level 1 "Ready" status, while zones 4-6 remain on level 1 "ready" evacuation notice.
Update (As of Sept. 20, 2 p.m.): Firefighters made good progress on the Lava Fire on Thursday, which is currently just over 97,000 acres and has reached 57% containment.
Crews plan to fly unmanned drones over the fire on Friday to detect any heat and fire activity along the containment lines and throughout the fire perimeter. Fire activity may increase as conditions start to dry, but it is expected to burn at a low intensity.
All evacuations orders in Gem County were lifted at 8 a.m. on Friday. The Boise and Payette National Forest also reduced the Lava-Boulder Fire Closure Order effective Friday morning.
A community meeting will be held in Ola at 7 p.m. on Friday at the Ola Community Hall to provide updates on the Lava Fire.
Update (As of Sept. 18, 11 a.m.): The Lava Fire received heavy amounts of rainfall with 0.5-2.25 inches of rain estimated across the entire fire. Due to the rain, fire activity is predicted to be minimal with creeping and smoldering in sheltered areas. Firefighters will be watching for new ignitions from recent lightning that may ignite when the sun returns.
Adams County Sheriff’s Office downgraded evacuation levels for residents south of South Grays Creek, along Little Weiser River Road in Indian Valley, North of South Grays Creek Road to Highway 95, and the Mesa Area to a Level 1 “READY”.
Valley County Sheriff’s Office Zones 2 – 6 are also in a LEVEL 1 “READY” Evacuation notice. All remaining zones have been removed from any evacuation status effective Tuesday, Sept. 17.
A community meeting is being held in Cascade at 7 p.m., today, Wednesday, Sept. 16, at the Cascade Fire Department.
Update: (As of Sept. 17): The Lava Fire has reached over 97,000 acres of burned area, with just 33% containment.
A community meeting is being held in Cascade Tomorrow, Wednesday Sept. 18 at 7 p.m., at the Cascade Fire Department.
The 825 personnel are working hard on controlling the fire towards homes and structures towards the God's acres and church camp. The rainstorm did help some of the conditions, but crews will look over the effects of the weather to see what conditions are moving forward.
Evacuations:
Gem County Sheriff's Office a Level 2 *SET* evacuation order for residents of Third Fork Road and Second Fork Road (North of Nesbitt Lane) and the Sage Hen Reservoir is Level 1 *READY* for Nesbitt Lane Residents.
Valley County Sheriff's Office zones 4-11 are in Level 2 *SET* evacuation orders.
Update: (As of September 16th, 2024)
Containment increased slightly for the Lava Fire over the weekend at 26% now. The fire is burning 95,746 acres in Washington, Gem, Adams, and Valley Counties.
Update: (As of September 14th, 2024)
The Lava Fire continues to burn over 95,000 acres and is just 22% contained. Over 800 personnel are assigned to the fire. Structure protection is still the main focus of the crews, especially Indian Mountain Lookout as a precaution. Cold Spring Ridge to Cascade Lake had a dozer line behind structures.
Evacuations and road closures:
Adams County: Level 3 "GO" for residents South of South Grays Creek and along Little Weiser Road in Indian Valley.
Level 2 "SET" for North of South Grays Creek Road to Highway 95.
Level 1 "READY" for Mesa area.
Gem County Sheriff's Office: Level 2 "SET" residents on Third Fork Road (North of Nesbitt Lane), Second Fork Road (North of Nesbitt Lane) and the Sage Hen Reservior area.
Level 1 "READY" for residents of Nesbitt Lane.
Valley County Sheriff's Office: Zones 4-11 are in a Level 2 "SET" evacuation notice.
Update: (Septemeber 14th, 2024)
The Lava Fire has burned 95,697 acres and is 16% contained with 824 personnel assigned. Property in evacuated or Forest Service-closed areas must remain until authorities declare it safe to return.
Fire lines were established on the west flank and around the northern flank near Indian Mountain Lookout Tower. The Four Corners Fire scar was managed near Hazard Creek and Lookout Peak, with lines being built as needed. On the southwestern flank, crews mopped up areas east of Indian Valley Road, North Crane Road, and Spring Creek. The Red Fire was controlled by the end of the day.
UPDATE: (Sept 12th, 7:25 p.m.)
The Boulder Fire West Mountain Zones 4, 5, & 6 have been downgraded from "GO" to "SET." The determination for these to be downgraded came from Sheriff Copperi of the West Mountain Fires officials. Roadblocks are currently being removed for residents to return to their homes after receiving a CodeRED notification.
Zones 7-11 remain in their current status of "SET." The assessment of these zones will be over the next few days after the events of weather and fire activity.
UPDATE: (Sept. 12, 10 a.m.): As of today, the name “Boulder Fire” ceases to exist, as the area that was the Boulder Fire is now a part of the Lava Fire. The communities will have the same protection, in many cases, by the same firefighters.
However, the latest information can now be found on the Lava Fire Facebook page.
A community meeting is planned for 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13 at the Ola Community Center.
UPDATE: (Sept. 11, 10 a.m.): The Lava Fire continued to exhibit highly active behavior on Tuesday, after merging with with the Boulder Fire for a combined acreage of over 78,000 acres.
Crews continued fire suppression and structure protection efforts on Tuesday night and into early Wednesday morning.
Gem County Sheriff’s Office has issued LEVEL 3 “GO” Evacuation notices to residents on Third Fork Road, Second Fork Road, and the Sage Hen Reservoir area. A LEVEL 2 “SET” Evacuation has been issued for Nesbitt Lane residents.
Adams County Sheriff’s Office issued LEVEL 3 “GO” Evacuation notices to residents south of South Grays Creek and along Little Weiser Road in Indian Valley. A LEVEL 2 “SET” Evacuation has been issued for residents North of South Grays Creek Road to Highway 95, and a LEVEL 1 “READY” Evacuation has been issued for the Mesa area.
The Boise and Payette National Forests also implemented a joint Lava and Boulder Fire Area, Road, and Trail Closure for public and firefighter safety.
The trail and road closures includes Forest Service lands north of the 601 Road and north all the way to the northernmost extent of Lake Cascade.
For the latest evacuation details, head to the U.S. Forest Service Boise National Forest Facebook page.
UPDATE: (Sept. 10, 8:15 a.m.): According to NIFC, the Lava Fire has grown to 60,000 acres with still no containment.
UPDATE: (Sept. 9, 2:45 p.m.): The Valley County Sheriff's Office is ordering a "GO NOW" evacuation for residents in Zones 4, 5 and 6.. An interactive map to see where your zone is can be found online.
Those in "GO NOW" zones need to leave immediately. Roadblocks on West Mountain Rd will be moved north, near Hurd Creek. No access will be allowed in the area once you leave.
Zones 7, 8 and 9 are now under "SET" evacuation notices. Those under this notice should be ready to leave at a moments notice. Sign up for CodeRed Alerts here.
Related: Evacuation ordered near Boulder Fire
UPDATE: (Sept. 9, 9:45 a.m.) The Lava Fire burning southwest of Cascade Reservoir saw significant growth with windy weather over the weekend and is now reported to be around 46,733 acres. Sunday's evacuation notices remain in place.
Officials say firefighting personnel and resources had to evacuate the area Sunday morning due to rapid fire spread. The incident management team and all firefighters have since relocated and all personnel are safe and accounted for.
Structural damage was being assessed by fire managers and the county sheriff’s office as of Monday morning's fire update.
"Fire managers and personnel are working to develop a structure protection strategy and establish an anchor point from which to build fireline," the release said. "Additionally, a Complex Incident Management Team (CIMT) has been ordered and will take command of the fire in the coming days."
UPDATE: (Sept. 8, 3:00 p.m.) The Adams County Sheriff's Office notifying residents of a "SET" evacuation notice. All residences from Little Weiser Rd in Indian Valley, to south of Council on the east side of Highway 95 are under this order.
UPDATE (Sept. 8, 3:00 p.m.): The Lava Fire is now roughly 20,000 acres. The Gem County Emergency Management Office has issued a level 3 “GO NOW” Evacuation Notice for residences on Third Fork Rd, north of Nesbitt Ln., residences on Nesbitt Ln., residences on Second Fork Road, north of Nesbitt Ln., and residences in the Sage Hen Reservoir area.
The Gem County Sheriff's Office notified the impacted residences in person of the evacuation on Sept. 8. Any questions regarding evacuations should be directed to the Gem County Sheriff's Dispatch at (208) 365-3521.
Two new lightning-caused fires are burning in the Boise National Forest.
The Lava and Sheep Fires were both detected on Sept. 5th.
According to a release from the Forest Service, The Lava Fire is burning about 9 miles north of Ola in the Chief Eagle Eye Creek Drainage and has burned about 550 acres.
The Sheep Fire is burning about 9 miles east/southeast of Idaho City near the confluence of the Middle Fork and North Fork Boise River. The fire has burned about 160 acres so far.
Crews are attacking both fires from the air and the ground, no word on containment.
Closures for both these fires are in place.
