UPDATE (Sept. 3, Noon)
A community meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 3 at the Cascade Fire Department to provide updates on the Boulder Fire.
The fire has burned 2,868 acres.
You can find the very latest on evacuation levels here.
UPDATE (Sept. 2, 4:15 p.m): A community meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 3 at the Cascade Fire Department to provide updates on the Boulder Fire.
Representatives from the Valley County Sheriff's Office, the forest service and fire managers with the Rocky Mountain CIMT2 will be available to answer questions regarding the Boulder Fire, as well as the nearby Dollar, Snag and Goat Fires.
Guests can attend the meeting in person at 109 E. Pine in Cascade or join via the Facebook livestream.
UPDATE (Sept. 2, 1:30 p.m): The Valley County Sheriff's Office released updated evacuation details for the Boulder Fire. Zones 2 through 5 all have a GO evacuation ordered, meaning it's time to immediately evacuate the area.
Zone 3A, which includes the city of Cascade, and Zone 6 are in SET status, which encourages residents to be packed and prepared to leave at a moment's notice.
The Valley County Sheriff's Office dispatch center is available at (208)382-5160 to answer any questions.
Sign up to receive Valley County emergency alerts here.
UPDATE (Sept. 2, 12:15 p.m): The Boulder Fire traveled north towards Olsen Creek after significant fire activity on Sunday afternoon, but remains at just over 2,400 acres and 57% containment.
A Red Flag Warning is in effect from 9 a.m. to midnight on Monday, with winds and extreme fire activity expected throughout the day.
A GO evacuation order remains in place for areas surrounding the Boulder Fire — visit the Valley County Sheriffs Office Facebook page for detailed evacuation orders.
The Cascade Fire Community Fund is available for all residents affected by Boulder Fire evacuations. The fund provides direct financial support to help cover essential needs, including temporary housing, food, clothing, and other urgent expenses. Go here to request assistance.
Additionally, all evacuated residents can receive a free meal at the Lakefront Bar and Grill in Cascade from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday.
UPDATE (Sept. 1, 7:30 p.m): The Boulder Fire, which is currently at 2,300 acres, has shown significant fire activity Sunday afternoon.
Firefighters are responding with aerial support from scoopers, which are using Cascade Lake, as well as crews with engines.
The Valley County Sheriffs Office issued a GO evacuation order for residents in the path of the Boulder Fire.
Cabarton Road on the west side from the Cabarton bridge to the intersection of West Mountain and Cabarton has a GO order in effect, as does the area of West Mountain Road from Cabarton north to French Creek.
Cascade Fire Department is available for parking vehicles, campers, etc. Valley County Fairgrounds is available for animals. Cascade Community Church has opened their doors, as well.
The Cascade Fire Community Fund is available for those displaced and needing lodging, food, gas, etc. for full or part-time residents.
Additionally, a SET notification is in place for the area of Cabarton Road, north to Ponderosa and to the west on Lakeshore Drive to Estate Drive.
For detailed evacuation orders, visit the Valley County Sheriffs Office Facebook page.
UPDATE (August 28, 10:34 am): Crews continue to mop up hot spots on the north side of the Boulder Fire while operations on the Wolf Creek Fire turn to rehabilitation.
The Boulder Fire covers 2,396 acres at 57% containment, while the Wolf Creek Fire remains stalled at 1,154 acres at 95% containment.
UPDATE (August 26, 8:38 am): The Boulder and Wolf Creek Fires saw mild activity over the weekend as army crews continued to support fire personnel on both wildfires.
The Boulder Fire saw just 8 acres of growth as containment remains at 44%, while the Wolf Creek Fire remains at 1,154 acres and 95% containment.
Officials estimate the suppression, repair, and rehabilitation work on the Wolf Creek Fire will likely continue for the next two weeks.
Burnout operations near the Boulder Fire may continue to remove fuel near containment lines should weather conditions permit.
UPDATE (August 22, 8:50 am): Fire crews are continuing to patrol the near-contained Wolf Creek Fire as the nearby Boulder Fire sees an uptick in activity and breaches containment lines.
Containment operations on the Wolf Creek Fire are progressing steadily, with the 1,154-acre fire remaining at 95% containment while fire crews monitor the area. The 2,305-acre Boulder Fire is 44% contained and saw growth on August 21, with at least two hotspots being located outside of the secured containment lines.
A Red Flag Warning is in effect for the area due to unstable weather conditions in the area, including gusty winds with speeds up to 24 mph.
Closures:
- Wolf Creek Fire: On the Payette National Forest, a closure including popular National Forest System roads around the Wolf Creek fire such as: sections of NFS #1763 (West Mountain Jeep Trail), #835, #206, #326. On the Boise National Forest, Forest Road #435 (Anderson Lake Road) was closed on August 1.
- Boulder Fire: The Boise National Forest has issued a closure order #0402-04-98 for National Forest System (NFS) roads, trails and lands encompassing the Boulder Fire. The closure was enacted to protect public safety and support fire suppression activities. The closure includes Blue Lake and Snowbank Mountain Road (#446) along with all #404 and #421 system roads.
UPDATE (August 19, 9:31 am): The Wolf Creek Fire is nearly completely contained as efforts on the Boulder Fire are starting to see success. The Wolf Creek Fire remains at 1,154 acres, at 95% containment, while the Boulder Fire covers 2,288 acres at 35% containment.
Fire crews continue extinguishing hot spots as the Wolf Creek Fire nears containment. Work on the Boulder Fire has increased containment as well and the fire has been slowed by a rocky perimeter with low vegetation for fuel.
On Saturday, August 17, 264 US Army Soldiers from Joint Base Lewis/McCord deployed to Idaho to assist with firefighting efforts. They were trained on firefighting techniques and are on a 30-day deployment authorized once the National Preparedness Level reaches Level 5.
- Wolf Creek Fire Closures: On the Payette National Forest, a closure including popular National Forest System roads around the Wolf Creek fire such as: sections of NFS #1763 (West Mountain Jeep Trail), #835, #206, #326. On the Boise National Forest, Forest Road #435 (Anderson Lake Road) was closed on August 1.
- Boulder Fire Closures: The Boise National Forest has issued a closure order #0402-04-98 for National Forest System (NFS) roads, trails and lands encompassing the Boulder Fire. The closure was enacted to protect public safety and support fire suppression activities. The closure includes Blue Lake and Snowbank Mountain Road (#446) along with all #404 and #421 system roads.
UPDATE (August 18): Containment on the Wolf Creek Fire increased again on Sunday, currently sitting at 1,100 acres and 90% containment. Fire crews will continue to monitor the fire for internal heat, and are also working on rehabilitation of control lines.
Military members of the 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion, a combat engineer battalion of the United States Army based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington, are training in firefighting tactics on the Wolf Creek Fire. After training completion, the battalion will be assigned to other fires being managed by the incident management team.
The Boulder Fire has spread over 2,200 acres, with only 26% containment. Several spots were observed on the northeast perimeter throughout the day on Saturday. However, fire crews were able to contain all spots of concern.
The western perimeter of the Boulder Fire is bordered by rock outcroppings, which effectively reduce the fire’s ability to spread.
UPDATE (August 17): The Wolf Creek fire is almost near containment with 88%, while the Boulder fire is only at 26% containment.
Containment of the Wolf Creek Fire improved today. Fire crews are keeping an eye out for any hot spots and smoke, while also working on repairing control lines. As the fire gets closer to being fully contained, fire managers may reassign firefighters to other fires handled by the team.
Fire crews on the Boulder Fire finished controlled burns on the southeast edge, northwest of 421E Road. They will keep checking and cleaning up this area to make sure there are no hot spots. Next, their focus will be on securing the northeastern edge to prevent the fire from spreading. "Holding" means keeping the fire from crossing a set boundary.
UPDATE (August 16, 7:57 am): Operations appear to be wrapping up on the Wolf Creek Fire burning 5 miles west of Donnelly. With crews successfully containing 81% of the fire and completely halting the spread of the flames, firefighters are being transferred to the nearby Snag Fire to assist with that fire which remains 0% contained.
The Boulder Fire burning nearby now covers 1,968 acres and is 11% contained. Fire Crews continue to strengthen containment lines for the fire after light rain on August 15 stalled the flames.
Thanks to rain from thunderstorms earlier this week, the humidity in the fire area has remained higher than usual. Dry conditions are expected over the weekend, so crews are preparing for active fire behavior.
UPDATE (August 13, 1:09 pm): Containment efforts have progressed successfully on the Wolf Creek Fire which still covers 1,154 acres and is now 55% contained. However, the nearby Boulder Fire has continued to grow and now covers 1,808 acres at just 6% containment.
Firefighters are continuing their mop up tactics to strengthen containment lines on the Wolf Creek Fire with containment expected to continue smoothly at this time. The Boulder Fire is less contained, but fire crews are looking to increase the areas of "black" which have no unburned material and make for a strong containment line.
A Red Flag Warning is in effect for August 13 due to expected thunderstorms and gusty winds which could impact fire hazard conditions.
UPDATE: As of August 11th 2024
The Wolf Creek fire has reached 49% containment with not much acre difference in burned area. The Boulder Fire is still at 6% containment with the same acre before. Fire lines are being held and controlled pretty well enough to figure out direction and movement.
UPDATE: As of August 10th 2024
The Boulder and Wolf Creak fire have burned a combined 2,700 acres. The Wolf Creak is still at 46%, with the Boulder fire still at 6% containment.
Boulder: The fire footprint has been reduced to stay west of South Fawn Creek drainage. Firefighters are looking for spots where dozers can clear vegetation to create firelines. Natural barriers like scree and steep rocky slopes to the west are helping to contain the fire. Overnight, crews on the Boulder Fire focused on cooling hotspots and patrolling the northern areas.
Wolf Creek: Yesterday, crews reinforced the dozer and handlines on the northeast side of the fire. They set up water pumps along the Little Weiser River to connect to a water source and use hoses to cool down areas. Firefighters also dealt with a few spot fires just outside the southern perimeter. The Valley County Sheriff’s Office announced that the immediate threat to properties near Cascade Lake has decreased, and the “ready” evacuation order for Zones 7 and 8 has been lifted.
Closures include Blue Lake and Snowbank Mountain Road (#446), as well as all #404 and #421 system roads. Forest Road #435 (Anderson Lake Road) was also closed near the Wolf Creek Fire as of August 1.
UPDATE: As of August 9th 2024 (7:55 a.m)
The Boulder and Wolf Creek fires have burned a combined 2,600 acres. The Wolf Creek is at 46% containment, with the Boulder fire is just at a low 6% containment.
Boulder: No other burning operations have initiated since yesterday, with the firefighters working on just strengthening the existing hand line and dozer line. Firefighters today are just continuing to mop-up along the southern flank, with mop-ups being the main focus.
Wolf Creek: Yesterday, crews finished setting up hand lines and connecting dozer lines in the northeast part of the fire. Other teams moved water pumps along the Little Weiser River to support the hand lines. The pumps, hoses, and hand lines were a lot of hard work over several days, and completing this task is a significant accomplishment.
UPDATE (August 8, 9:10 am): The Boulder Fire overtook the Wolf Creek Fire overnight on August 8, swelling to 1,366 acres. The Wolf Creek Fire, now 21% contained, covers 1,153 acres.
The Pocatello Fire Department shared an update on the Boulder Fire near Cascade where they announced the fire is still 6% contained.
The Bureau of Land Management anticipates winds on August 8 which could increase fire activity. The organization also warns that Saturday, August 10 could see dry thunderstorms roll through the area.
For timely information on evacuations, check out your county’s emergency alert system.
Stage 1 Fire Restrictions have been issued for the Payette Fire Restrictions Area in the Payette National Forest and the West Central Mountains Fire Restrictions Area in the Boise National Forest. For more information on the restrictions, check the Idaho Department of Land's interactive fire map.
UPDATE (August 7, 8:57 am): The Wolf Creek and Boulder Wildfires are continuing to grow as containment efforts have made progress in Valley County.
The Wolf Creek fire is now 14% contained and covers 1,149 acres. Fire crews will continue working on the Little Weiser River drainage to protect the values at risk on that side of the fire.
The Boulder Fire is just 6% contained and covers 1,023 acres at this time. Firefighters are working with aviation resources to continue mopping up the perimeter and monitoring fire growth.
For timely information on evacuations, check out your county’s emergency alert system.
UPDATE (August 6, 8:30 p.m.): Starting midweek crews are planning to initiate a strategic firing operation on the Boulder Fire.
Firing operations are used by wildfire managers to achieve suppression objectives by burning off unburned fuels between the current fire footprint and the primary containment lines.
This firing operation has been designed to contain the fire and protect several values at risk in the vicinity of the fire, such as private land, natural and cultural resources, agency infrastructure and timber resources.
The expected perimeter and containment line of the burn operation on the north side is the #446 Road.
Fire managers expect the whole operation including burning, mop-up and monitoring to take 7-12 days to complete. During this time, you can expect to see increased smoke output in the fire vicinity, according to the U.S. National Forest Service.
UPDATE (August 6, 10:22 am): The lightning-caused Boulder and Wolf Creek Fires have been burning since July 24, and now crews are continuing to build containment lines to halt the spread of the flames.
The Wolf Creek Fire now measures 1,146 acres as containment has reached 4%, while the Boulder Fire covers 965 acres and has been 5% contained.
Details on evacuations and road closures stemming from the fires has been released for the Boise National Forest, Valley County, and the Payette National Forest.
For timely information on evacuations, check out your county’s emergency alert system.
• Valley County: https://www.co.valley.id.us/CompleteEmergencyNotificationandAlerting
• Adams County: https://public.alertsense.com/SignUp/PublicUser.aspx?regionid=1077
UPDATE: As of Sunday, Aug. 4
Wolf Creek: The fire is just only 6% contained with over 1000 acres of burned area. An inversion kept the fire burning through Friday night and into early Saturday morning, causing it to spread south and west into the Wolf Creek drainage. Today, crews will continue building containment lines with the help of heavy equipment and aerial resources, while reinforcing existing lines. Personnel working this fire is 245.
Boulder: The fire is only at 5% containment with over 840 acres of burned area. The fire remained active in patches of Subalpine fir on the north and east sides yesterday. Crews reinforced existing containment lines, while the heavy equipment Task Force worked on constructing indirect containment lines. Personnel working this fire is 188.
UPDATE: August 3rd 2024
Both fires started on the evening of Wednesday July 24th 2024.
Wolf Creek: The fire is just five miles W of Donnelly ID and is upwards of 950 acres of burned area. The southern division firefighters were able to achieve more containment, while crews continue to patrol and monitor this anchor point. Mop up is ongoing moving north.
Boulder: Yesterday, fire activity picked up in the northeast part of the fire, and a column formed in the early afternoon. Efforts to strengthen anchor points on the south end of the fire will keep going. Road 421, heading north toward Fawn Creek on the east side of the fire, is being secured. Building a mechanical line in this area will help fire managers improve their chances of success.
The Boulder and Wolf Creek wildfires have been burning in Valley County since July 24, when a lightning strike sparked the flames. Now, the two fires continue to grow just a few miles outside of Donnelly and Cascade.
The 953-acre Wolf Creek fire remains 0% contained just 5 miles west of Donnelly while the 554-acre Boulder fire is currently 7% contained and sits 9 miles southwest of Cascade.
Fire behavior on July 31 was mild, but crews are anticipating increased activity overnight on August 1 as warm, dry weather makes its way into the area. Record high temperatures are forecast for the fire area in the coming days as well, which will impact the fires.
The Valley County Sheriff's Office has issued a "ready" evacuation order for the area directly east of the Wolf Creek fire, the latest information on evacuation orders for the county is available here.
Additional closure information is being released for the Boise National Forest, the Payette National Forest, and the greater Valley County area. The linked Facebook pages will be providing regular updates to closures and evacuation levels.
