STORY BY KAREN BOSSICK

PHOTOS BY Blaine County Fire and Rescue and Leisa Hollister

The Blaine County Sheriff’s office is investigating a video that may show the origin of the Ohio Gulch Fire that displaced hundreds of mid-valley residents this weekend.

The video, which has been circulating on social media, appears to show three young men—two dressed in black T-shirts and one dressed in white—nonchalantly walking away from a fire blazing on the hillside near an area sometimes used for target practice.

A bulldozed line may have helped to protect this barn from flames.

Two young women in shorts stand outside two shiny black sports vehicles waiting for them.

The area is about 1.2 miles from Highway 75  just down the road and across the street from the Ohio Gulch gun club. Target practice sparked a fire in the same area this blaze started several years ago, prompting some Indian Creek residents to worry that, if target practice were allowed to continue there, one day a fire would race up the slope and over into their neighborhood.

That appeared to happen Saturday as the fire grew from an estimated 1,200 acres Saturday night to 2,000 acres on Sunday. It is 10 percent contained.

On Saturday it threatened homes in the Heatherlands and Ohio Gulch before cresting the ridge and heading into Indian Creek. Firefighters were able to corral one fire just above the homes along mid-Indian Creek Road and just east of the neighborhood’s farthest most homes. It appeared a third fire might be burning in the timber beyond those homes.

Firefighters had their hands full in the dry, crackly conditions.

As of Sunday evening, no structures had been damaged or lost. 

Firefighters were dispatched to the scene at 1:41 p.m. Saturday, July 18.

By the time they got there, spot fires had erupted across the valley floor and the original blaze had nearly reached the top of the ridge.

Fortunately, the winds were fairly light or it could have been much worse.

Firefighters make their way towards flames that continue to burn despite a retardant drop.

Aerial firefighters hit key spots hard with fire retardant and helicopters made the rounds pulling water from a pond at Valley Club and the Big Wood River. Heavy equipment operators made a few dozer lines, one apparently saving a barn.

Some of those living in the Hiawatha neighborhood just to the south of the evacuated Indian Creek area woke to smoke in their homes. But smoke in the area did not seem to increase during late afternoon as residents had been warned.

The aerial crew took to the skies just after 7 a.m. Sunday morning, trying to slow the fire’s spread. And firefighters made steady progress, working throughout the day to extinguish hot spots and secure fire lines despite temperatures that climbed into the mid-80s.

They were aided by a little overnight rain.

Leisa Hollister shot this photo from the Deer Creek area Saturday night.

By Sunday night, skies were blue and void of clouds. There was no smoke in the air--at least along the bike path. Pink and red fire retardant could be seen on one hillside at the mouth of Ohio Gulch, along with charred sagebrush and grasses. And Saturday's smoke had cleared to show the fire had worked its way to the top of the peak at the entrance to East Fork.

Otherwise, the only evidence of fire that remained were what looked like hot fudge trickling down brown and green spumoni ice cream on the hills lining the highway.

Residents of the Heatherlands, Ohio Gulch, Indian Creek and Valley Club remain under evacuation orders.  Residents of Triumph and properties to the east of Triumph in East Fork and the Hiawatha and Red Devil area are on “Ready, Set…” status, meaning they should be ready to go if asked to.

The Blaine County Sheriff’s Office and Fire Managers decided to maintain all evacuation orders overnight, knowing that flare-ups and wind changes could put residents in danger in an instant. They will re-evaluate evacuation levels this morning after fire mapping and briefings.

People are asked to continue to stay out of the Ohio Gulch and Indian Creek areas to allow firefighters and heavy equipment operators to continue their work.

And firefighters are asking that people not fly drones in the area. Not only is it illegal but it creates a safety hazard. Aerial support may be grounded if drones are seen.