Bruneau Fire Burns More Than 40K Acres in Less Than 24 Hours

Bruneau Fire (courtesy BLM)

Murphy Hot Springs (670 KBOI) – Parts of Southwest and South central Idaho are on fire today, after a series of dry thunderstorms moved through the area Tuesday afternoon.

The largest is the Bruneau Fire, burning about 12 miles northwest of Murphy Hot Springs.

BLM Fire Information Officer Kelsey Brizendine says the fire was sparked by a lightning strike, and grew quickly, thanks to dry windy conditions.

“It took our ground resources a while to get out there,” said Brizendine.  “In that kind of terrain, and that kind of area, with the wind we get here in Southern Idaho, it’s not uncommon  for a fire to start and get to be 40,000 acres overnight.”

She says Rangeland Fire Protection Association firefighters got there first, and have been instrumental in helping BLM firefighters find out what’s going on, and map out a strategy.

For the latest updates, Brizendine says go to IdahoFireInfo.com.