OWYHEE COUNTY, Idaho — The Jump Fire, one of many fires in the region sparked by lightning Monday, has burned more than 20,000 acres. The Bureau of Land Management has issued a temporary emergency closure for the Jump Creek Recreation Site.
- You can find information about the Jump Creek Recreation Site emergency closure here.
- You can find a map of wildfires currently burning in Idaho here.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
“Fire is fire and so we all anticipate it and everybody out here anticipates it," says Trent Layne, who has lived out near Jump Creek for 14 years.
He had to move his cattle that graze in the hills to safety so that they wouldn’t be in the path of the Jump Fire.
“I can move them quick if I need to," says Layne.
He tells me that a wet spring and dry summer has created a lot of fuel for fires.
“All Summer there’s been no rain. Everywhere else has rained, but it hasn’t rained here and so you’re just waiting. One little lightning strike, boom, and it goes," added Layne.
More than 20 fires across the region were started by lightning strikes Monday.
“We’ve been able to manage the fires that we’re getting," says Chad Cline with Boise BLM "These lightning busts usually came through the summer months when it gets pretty hot."
He tells me they have more than 10 crews on scene working to contain the fire. Aerial fire fighting has also been a huge help.
“We’ve got, you know, air attack. Those platforms are above the fire and what they’re doing above the fire is kind of controlling all those Aerial resources between the helicopters and the single engine air tankers and then the heavy air tankers," added Cline.
Layne emphasized how important firefighters, specifically volunteers from Marsing and Homedale are to the community.
“They live here so they’re part of the community and they all grew up here and they know every inch of this and so when something goes on that affects everybody, they’re on top of it, and I mean immediately," says Layne “Everybody out here is just tight. They may not act like it, but when there’s times of trouble it’s tight and so everybody calls everybody, everybody’s looking out for everybody and that’s why I like it. That’s why I live here.”
