Federal and state land management agencies in Idaho are urging the public to take all precautions to prevent human-caused wildfires, and property owners to take steps to reduce the risk of wildfire to their homes and land, in the face of extreme statewide conditions outlined in a new outlook released by the National Interagency Fire Center today.
The National Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook predicts that the potential for significant wildland fires will be above normal in the entire state of Idaho in July and August, and forecasts it to remain above normal in southern and central Idaho through September. This is due primarily to expected continuing widespread drought and above average temperatures.
Over the last three years, a total of more than 1,900 human-caused wildfires have burned more than 500,000 acres in Idaho according to National Interagency Fire Center statistics. So far in 2021, more than 300 human-caused wildfires have burned more than 8,800 acres of land in the state.
“We are currently facing the most challenging wildfire conditions we’ve seen in Idaho in a long time,” said Dennis Strange, State Fire Management Officer for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). “The 4th of July holiday is a time when we often see an uptick in human-caused wildfires with lots of people spending time in the outdoors. We really need the public to take all steps possible to prevent human-caused wildfires because with these conditions wildfires may spread very quickly and could be very difficult to control.”
The BLM, USDA Forest Service, and Idaho Department of Lands remind members of the public that fireworks are prohibited on all lands managed by these agencies throughout the state of Idaho at all times. Individuals who ignite fireworks on lands managed by the BLM, USDA Forest Service, and Idaho Department of Lands could face fines and jail time as well as be responsible for paying the costs of suppressing wildfires the fireworks cause.
The BLM, USDA Forest Service, and Idaho Department of Lands urge members of the public who are planning to head to lands the agencies manage to check before they leave home to find out if any fire restrictions are in place in the areas they will be visiting and if so to abide by them. Federal and state land management agencies will implement Stage 1 Fire Restrictions on lands within south central Idaho (Blaine, Camas, and Custer counties) effective Friday, July 2 at 12:01 a.m. Additional Idaho fire restriction information is available online at http://www.idahofireinfo.com/ or by calling 1-844-ID-FIRES (1-844-433-4737).
The BLM, USDA Forest Service, and Idaho Department of Lands also urge members of the public who will be camping this weekend to ensure that they take the proper items with them, including a shovel and bucket, to ensure that they can put their wildfires “dead out” before leaving their campsites. Information about how to pick a campfire spot, prepare a campfire pit, build a campfire, and maintain and extinguish a campfire is available online at https://smokeybear.com/en/prevention-how-tos/campfire-safety .
In addition, the BLM, USDA Forest Service, and Idaho Department of Lands urge members of the public to take steps to use and maintain vehicles and outdoor equipment in ways that prevent sparking a wildfire. Information about vehicle safety and lawn care is available at https://smokeybear.com/en/prevention-how-tos/equipment-use-and-maintenance .
Over the last 10 years, wildfires have burned a total of approximately 675 homes and other structures in Idaho. Information about how to make homes fire resistant, how to create fire resistant landscapes, and how to evacuate if needed during a wildfire is available at https://idahofirewise.org/ .
Information about current wildfire activity in Idaho is available at http://www.idahofireinfo.com/ ; InciWeb (https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/ ) and on BLM, U.S. Forest Service, and Idaho Department of Lands websites and social media platforms.
