BY KAREN BOSSICK
The Sharps Fire burning east of Bellevue has grown to 38,360 acres, claiming another 3,000 acres following a warm night that saw a lot of activity on the northern flank of the fire.
The fire has moved into the Sawtooth National and is two miles east of The Narrows in Cove Creek and one mile west of Elk Mountain. On the south side it’s a quarter mile north of Bell Mountain near Bellevue.
It is 21 percent contained along the southern flank of the fire. No structures have been lost.
Crews are expecting wind gusts up to 30 miles an hour this afternoon as dry thunderstorms move into the area. The thunderstorms are expected to produce less than 500th inch of precipitation, according to Mary Cernick, a fire information officer working on the fire.
Meanwhile, state and federal land management agencies announced they will implement Stage 1 Fire Restrictions on lands within south central Idaho effective 12:01 a.m. Friday, Aug. 3. Restrictions include the Sawtooth National Forest.