1. Boise County Sheriff’s Office alerts
2. Boise National Forest alerts, notices

The Boise County Sheriff’s Office Aug. 7 issued a level-one “get ready” wildfire evacuation alert for areas near Garden Valley, Idaho.

The alert applies along Middlefork Road just north of Stump Ranch Road, including Lightning Creek Road and Thunder Road areas, according to a Facebook post by the sheriff’s office.

Emergency crews were contacting property owners about the alert, associated with the Bulldog Fire. Residents received reverse 911 notifications.

Boise National Forest firefighters continued to fight 15 fires, according to a news release. Crews made progress against several. Other fires continued to grow.

Officials with the forest, which lies north and east of Boise, are evaluating area closures for north of Crouch, east of Cascade and north of Ola including recreation sites.

Closures had not been specified and circulated as of early afternoon Aug. 7, Brian Lawatch, Boise National Forest public information officer, told Capital Press.

“We understand that there are summer homes and communities near these fires,” he said. Forest officials are working closely with counties.

The Forest institutes closures on public lands and the counties handle evacuation orders on private lands, “so we recommend people follow both the Forest Service and counties for announcements about potential evacuations, and understand this is a fluid environment,” Lawatch said. “With a lot of fires going on at once, stay as informed as possible.”

With firefighters and resources stretched, priorities include protecting private property and “wherever we we can make the biggest difference fighting these fires,” he said. The Boise National Forest is sharing resources with Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team 7, which is working on the West Mountain Complex of fires.

Lightning caused more than 20 fires recently, according to the release. Boise National Forest has applied a full suppression strategy to all and prioritized firefighter and public safety, private property and fires on which success is probable.

Fires Aug. 7

Bulldog: eight miles north of Crouch and about a mile from the Lightning Creek community, 300 acres. Forest closure announcement for the area expected later Aug. 7, according to BNF.

Snag: 11 miles east of Cascade, about 1,500 acres burning adjacent to state lands, with private lands beyond. Fire is in high-elevation, subalpine fir, which can lead to frequent spotting over planned containment lines, according to forest officials.

Nellie: four miles southeast of Scott Mountain and adjacent to Forest (Deadwood) Road 555, about 600 acres burning In high-elevation, subalpine fir.

Poison, 1.5 miles west of Poison Creek Campground along Lake Cascade, less than an acre when first reported.

Dollar: 18 miles northeast of Cascade, about 650 acres largely surrounded by previously burned areas.

West Mountain Complex: Wolf Creek, five miles west of Donnelly, 1,149 acres and 14% contained early Aug. 7; Boulder, nine miles southwest of Cascade, 1,023 acres and 6% contained; Bulltrout, 35 miles northeast of Lowman along State Highway 21, 271 acres and 65% contained; and Wapiti, two miles southeast of Grandjean, 740 acres, no containment listed.

Source: BNF