BY KAREN BOSSICK

The Custer County Sheriff has issued evacuations for the Boulder Creek turnoff to the Germania Creek trailhead and the Livingston Mine near Railroad Ridge as the Frog Fire grows out of control.

The Frog Fire is believed to have been started by lightning on Sept. 7. Estimated at 40 acres on Sept. 8, it had grown to more than 1,800 acres by Tuesday caused by extreme fire behavior including wind-driven runs and, spotting.

It has been spreading towards ranches along the East Fork of the Salmon River between Challis and Clayton, forcing ranchers to scurry to corral their livestock.

It is 11 miles northeast of Smiley Creek just outside of the Ceil D. Andrus-White Clouds Wilderness near the Livingston Mine and Railroad Ridge. Railroad Ridge, at 10,400 feet, is the highest road motor vehicles can drive in Idaho. Because of its elevation, all of its wildflowers bloom within a two-week period in July—a big attraction for wildflower enthusiasts.

Though relatively small at present, the fire is causing concern, especially given Tuesday’s hot, dry windy conditions severe enough to constitute a Red Flag warning. After all, the Wapiti Fire was about 50 acres for days before it exploded, threatening the town of Stanley and Stanley Lake, jumping Highway 21 and marching towards the popular Kirkham Hot Springs and town of Lowman.

There is some concern the fire could march towards popular camping and hiking areas on Trail Creek Summit from which it could easily make a run into the Wood River Valley.

Air and other resources assigned to the Wapiti Fire near Stanley are supporting initial attack operations on the Frog Fire. On Tuesday they hit it hard with four very large air tankers, four single engine air tankers and two scoopers.

The Wapiti Fire, started by lightning on July 24 near Grandjean, is now 122,233 acres and 12 percent contained. An Unmanned Ariel System has been utilized in the  Iron Creek area near Stanley and the Cape Horn area to locate hot spots using infrared detection

The sheriff’s department has allowed residents of Iron Creek and other neighborhoods west of Stanley back into their homes. It’s also reopened State Highway 21 from Stanley to the Stanley Lake turnoff. The highway remains closed east of Lowman from the Sourdough Lodge at Milepost 84 to the Stanley Lake turnoff at Milepost 126.

There is still concern that the fire is burning towards the south and east in drainage bottoms with rocky alpine terrain above. Minimal resources are staffed in this area due to limited access, but there is concern that fire could make a run for Highway 75 in the Decker Flats and Hell Roaring Lake area given the right conditions.

That said, firefighters are hoping to get an inch of rain on the area of the Wapiti Fire late Wednesday into Thursday. The thunderstorm is expected to bring lightning and wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour around 3 p.m. with winds out of the north and northwest.

The Chimney Fire, one of three fires started by lightning in the Fairfield area last week, has now grown to 6,140 acres and is 10 percent contained with gusty winds on Tuesday expected to create active growth. The fire, nine miles northwest of Fairfield, is burning in timber, brush, grass and understory and has caused some very smoky conditions from time to time on Highway 20 in the area.

On Tuesday 422 firefighters were assigned to the fire, many of them working to secure the Middle Fork and South Fork of Lime Creek. Active heat remains along the northeastern and northwestern flanks, burning through dead and downed timber. The smoky conditions spilled over into the south part of the Wood River Valley temporarily on Monday afternoon and made aerial observation on the fire difficult.

The Sawtooth National Forest has temporarily closed some roads in the area, including an area southeast form Smoky Dome Peak along Three Mile Creek and the South Fork of Soldier Creek.

Wood River Valley residents are keeping a wary eye on this fire, too, as it was a fire 12 miles northeast of Fairfield in 2013 that grew into the 115,000-acre Beaver Creek Fire, which destroyed one home in Greenhorn Gulch south of Ketchum and forced the evacuation of some mid-valley residents.

The Northwest and Great Basin areas, which include the Sun Valley area, are on National Preparedness Level 5, according to the Boise-based National Interagency Fire Center. That is the highest in the country.