Thursday, March 28, 2024
 
Click HERE to sign up to receive Eye On Sun Valley's Daily News Email
 
Bellevue Fire Spreads Hot and Fast
Loading
   
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
 

BY KAREN BOSSICK

Kelsey Brizendine watched as a dust devil roared down the steep hillside at the mouth of Martin Canyon east of Bellevue.

This one was different, though. Rather than dust, it contained ash. As it spun its way down the hillside, a gust so strong it nearly knocked over Brizendine swept down the hillside, sending a sheet of ash rolling down the hillside like ocean waves.

The waves had hardly ended when the wind changed directions again, first sending soot devils up the hill, then across.

“This is what firefighters are worried about,” said Brizendine. “With the thunderstorms comes shifting winds, and shifting winds can cause fire to do erratic things. Thunderstorms can also produce gusts between 20 and 50 miles per hour.”

The Martin Canyon Fire, opposite the EE-DA-HO Ranch in Muldoon Canyon, was triggered Sunday afternoon by someone who was target shooting into the hillside where vegetation was growing, said Brizendine, fire information officer for the Bureau of Land Management’s Shoshone office.

The narrow canyon acted like a chimney, funneling five foot flames straight up the canyon and screaming up the adjacent hillsides.

“The big response from the tankers, copter and caterpillar working the ridge saved the day,” said Bellevue resident Doug Brown. “The wind was blowing away from Bellevue, thank goodness,”

The fire settled down and slowed overnight.

By Monday afternoon officials were estimating it had burned more than 3,500 acres of grassland, sagebrush, aspen and Douglas fir and was 15 percent contained. Monday afternoon’s thunderstorm pushed it into Muldoon Canyon, necessitating a back burn operation to slow the fire’s progress and secure the southern flank. The northeast side of the fire burned aggressively during the storm but calmed down after the storm passed.

“You can see it’s incredibly steep terrain,” said Brizendine, gesturing towards two firefighters who  looked like tiny pinheads as they hiked up a fire break a dozer had made straight up a hillside. “It burned hot. You can see there’s no vegetation left on the hillsides.”

Bellevue Fire Chief Greg Beaver said his department fielded the call at 2:52 p.m. and had an engine on the scene by 3. But the fire was already out of control, fueled by erratic winds and dry vegetation that firefighters say are already as dry as mid-August conditions.

Beaver was riding in the Camp Rainbow Gold motorcycle escort, along with one of Bellevue Fire Department’s engines when the fire was reported. By the time he got to the fire, fire engines from Hailey and Wood River fire departments were on the scene. Sun Valley and Ketchum fire departments supplied crews, as well.

“It was very rapid fire growth. We tried to knock it down fast. But with the winds and dry fuel—I was surprised how fast it grew. That cheatgrass, sagebrush burns quick,” he said.

Beaver supplied structure protection, assessing homes in nearby Slaughterhouse Gulch. The fire topped  the ridge and start heading down into Slaughterhouse Gulch. But air attacks were able to keep it from spreading.

Elizabeth Laidig a BLM firefighter out of Shoshone, was dropped on a hilltop by a helicopter. There she fought the fire until 2:30 in the morning.

“Fortunately the winds were in the direction we wanted them to go,” she said.

Bellevue resident Kristin Fletcher, a confessed fire geek, said aerial firefighters put on a magnificent show.

“It was pretty amazing the extent of it. They must have been very concerned it would grow out of control, what with the squirrely winds and the hot temperatures expected for the next few days,” she said. “The little planes that are taking over for the big old DC-10 tankers are so acrobatic—holy cow what one of them did!”

A fire camp sprung up Monday at Bellevue Elementary School, as firefighters pitched tents in the ball field. Three generations of the Goitiandia family set up 18 Porta-potties as a trailer was brought in to house Incident Command.

A dining room was assembled amidst playground equipment.

“We hope we won’t be here more than a few days. But we want to take care of the firefighters—feed them, make sure they have water and Gatorade,” Brizendine said.

More than 150 firefighters—most from the Great Basin area—are fighting the fire.

“They’re saying they expect to contain it by Wednesday. But you never know,” said Beaver.

There have been no evacuations due to the fire, but the road from EE-DA-HO Ranch through Muldoon Canyon has been closed to the townsite of Muldoon. Also closed: Muldoon Canyon Road from the Little Wood Reservoir Dam to Muldoon.

Officials have asked the public not to fly drones in the area, as they may interfere with the air attack.

The BLM did a couple controlled burns in the Martin Canyon area in 2014 after timber sales cleared out some of the trees that had been killed by pine beetle.

But the fire is a reminder of how everybody needs to be cautious and safe, whether they’re building  campfires, target shooting, driving off-road or even putting out a cigarette, said Beaver.

“Especially with the eclipse coming we really need to be careful out there,” he said. “None of us want to be in the smoke until September.”

~  Today's Topics ~


Lou Whittaker Leaves Behind a Legacy of Mountaineering and Storytelling

Free Range Poetry Society to Hold Second Gathering Tonight

Easter Bunny to Begin Hopping Friday
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Website problems? Contact:
Michael Hobbs
General Manager /Webmaster
Mike@EyeOnSunValley.com
 
Got a story? Contact:
Karen Bossick
Editor in Chief
(208) 578-2111
Karen@EyeOnSunValley.com
 
 
Advertising /Marketing /Public Relations
Leisa Hollister
Chief Marketing Officer
(208) 450-9993
leisahollister@gmail.com
 
Brandi Huizar
Account Executive
(208) 329-2050
brandi@eyeonsunvalley.com
 
 
ABOUT US
EyeOnSunValley.com is the largest online daily news media service in The Wood River Valley, publishing 7 days a week. Our website publication features current news articles, feature stories, local sports articles and video content articles. The Eye On Sun Valley Show is a weekly primetime television show focusing on highlighted news stories of the week airing Monday-Sunday, COX Channel 13. See our interactive Kiosks around town throughout the Wood River Valley!
 
info@eyeonsunvalley.com      Press Releases only
 
P: 208.720.8212
P.O. Box 1453 Ketchum, ID  83340
LOGIN

© Copyright 2023 Eye on Sun Valley