BY KAREN BOSSICK

Stanley Area Residents to Wood River Valley residents who have cabins in the Nip and Tuck area of Stanley scurried to pull valuables out of them Wednesday morning after a spot fire occurred near the area’s western end Tuesday.

Dry windy conditions sent embers from the Wapiti Fire flying across Highway 21 northeast of Valley Creek Tuesday afternoon. The spot fire crossed Welp Lane and Nip and Tuck Road northwest of Lower Stanley. Helicopters made some impressive water drops immediately, but smoke quickly limited visibility and the fire gained a toehold as the helicopters had to retreat.

Firefighters worked through the night and were able to complete a dozer line around the north, east, and part of the south sides of the 140-acre spot fire, checking its further movement towards Stanley. And they continued working on it Wednesday.

The Custer County Sheriff Department evacuated Lower Stanley Tuesday night because of the spot fire. The Stanley Museum, which sits beneath the Nip and Tuck area, is closed for the time being.

One couple said they were eating at the Supper Club in Stanley when the sheriff announced the evacuation. Their waitress had to leave immediately as she lived in Sunbeam.

Stanley, normally full of tourists this time of year is now full of fire engines from all over the country with the fire being the No. 1 priority in the nation. Lodges are full of firefighters instead of vacationers in Tevas, and the Stanley Bakery has its hands full serving firefighters instead of backpackers and rafters who want a chocolate croissant before heading into the backcountry.

The fire, sparked by lightning near Grandjean on July 24, grew to 79,745 acres on Wednesday up from 70,200 acres the day before. There is zero containment.

On Wednesday Sawtooth National Recreation Area District Ranger Kirk Flannigan expanded the existing closure order further south through the Sawtooth Wilderness area. Affected trails include the Alice Lake-Redfish Lake Trail 092 north of Hell Roaring Lake, the Mount Cramer Trail 154; the entirety of the South Fork Payette River Trail 452, the North Fork Boise River Trail 465, the Redfish Creek-Baron Creek Trail 101; and parts of the Benedict Trail 462 and Ten Lake Basin Trail 463.

Riverside, Salmon River and Casino Creek campgrounds are now closed.

Zone 4--the Redfish Lake area--and Zone 5—the fish hatchery area--were moved up to “Set” from “Ready.”

“Ready,” explained former fire information officer Anne Jeffery, means that you’ve got your livestock ready to go should you need to evacuate. “Set” means you have the car packed and pointed out of the garage.

The Upper part of Zone 2, Zone 3 and the new Casino Zone also is now in “Set” status.

The number of firefighters working the fire increased again on Wednesday to 839 under the direction of Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 1. It is expected that firefighters from the City of Ketchum will join the firefighting efforts.

Wapiti Fire firefighters had no losses of any structures or equipment Tuesday night or Wednesday despite the erratic winds, spot fires, low humidity and dry fuels.

On Wednesday they were able to conduct several successful fire suppression activities and weather allowed for helicopters to drop water on the fire. They:

• Deepened the fire lines around Homestead, Crooked Creek, and Iron Creek to protect the homes in those communities. Many residents of the Wood River Valley retrieved paintings and other valuables from homes in that area last week.
• Assessed structure protection in the Redfish Lake area should the fire make a run towards Redfish Lake and Lodge.
• Built fire lines to protect Goat Falls, Stanley, and nearby communities.
• Conducted backburns on National Forest Road 105 to keep the fire south of the road. They also worked the fire’s edge on the eastside of Highway 21 to check the fire’s progress northwest along Highway 21.
• Assessed opportunities for a backburn northwest of the Bull Trout Lake area to tie the fire line into Highway 21 and an old fire scar that is proving resistant to burning. The actions are designed to protect the campground and prevent the fire from moving further north.
• Mopped up Hanging Valley near Grandjean with the idea they can move crews from that area to other places on the fire.
• Closed Highway 21 in the Banner Summit area for a while even to firefighters due to the intensity of the fire there. Highway 21 is closed to the public from Stanley to the Sourdough Lodge near Lowman.

Firefighters battled near critical fire weather conditions on Wednesday with dry relative humidity and breezy northwest winds following the passage of a dry cold front that moved through earlier. Today and Friday, Aug. 30, are also expected to bring challenging weather conditions.

Smoke was bad in Stanley Wednesday morning, but it was worse in Alturas Lake, Smiley Creek and Galena, where it was rated in the purple hazardous range.

Sawtooth Valley resident Julie Rember said winds seemed to abate a little Wednesday afternoon, blowing 7 miles per hour compared with the ferocious 15 mph winds blowing up the bike path in Hailey.