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Fire crews continue to make good progress on the Boise Fire, burning near Orleans along the Humboldt-Siskiyou county line. Last week’s wet weather helped fire crews take control of the blaze and strengthen containment lines along the fire’s perimeter.  

Image: Boise Fire Incident Management

As of Wednesday afternoon, the fire has held at approximately 12,907 acres and is 46 percent contained.

“There’s still some interior burning – mostly what we call heavy fuels – but there’s no active fire along the leading edge of what has already burned,” Bob Poole, a spokesperson for California Team 11, told the Outpost. “That rain we had on the fire [on Friday night] brought in quite a bit of moisture – I think an inch to an inch-and-a-half – and that helped us quite a bit. It slowed down the fire and allowed us to insert troops to improve those fire lines.”

Crews are focusing fire suppression on the eastern flank of the fire, which is burning in steep, “almost inaccessible” terrain along Granite Creek in Siskiyou County. 

“This kind of terrain is unforgiving,” Poole said. “We’re trying to get troops in there now, so we put in a couple of spike camps, which is mostly where the hotshot crews we’ll be inserted. There, they will be closer to the fire line so they don’t have to travel two hours in, two hours out every day and they can spend more time working on the fire.”

Asked about containment on the east side of the fire, Poole said incident management would not establish firm containment lines “until we’re confident that it will hold.”

“We don’t want to call it contained until we’re positive that that hand line will hold,” he continued. “That area is so steep, we could have something running at the top of the hill … that would roll down the hill and pass the containment line and ignite something at the bottom of the hill.”

Evacuations are still in effect for residents surrounding the fire, even on the western edge where containment lines are already established. Incident management is hoping to get folks back into their homes as soon as possible, but many of the roads in the fire area are inaccessible due to downed trees.

“One of our projects right now is to clear those interior roads of downed trees and rocks to make them passable again,” Poole said. “There are quite a few areas right now, primarily on the western side, where there may not be a threat of fire, but there’s literally no access and it’s still a very dangerous area. There are a lot of standing dead trees in that area and it doesn’t take much for them to just fall over.”

The following additional information comes from the Six Rivers National Forest:

Boise Fire Quick Facts:

  • Acres: 12,907
  • Crews: 17
  • Containment: 46%
  • Engines: 32
  • Detection Date: August 9, 2024
  • Dozers: 1
  • Cause: Under investigation
  • Helicopters: 10 + 1 UAS
  • Total resources: 783
  • Fixed wing: available as needed

Headlines

• Traffic control remains in place along the Salmon River Road between Butler Flat and Nordheimer Flat for the safety of firefighters and residents. Expect up to 30-minute delays. Incident personnel driving vehicles with more than two axels will not be allowed on the road.

• Fire information phone: (707) 572-4860 or email at 2024.Boise@firenet.gov

• Get all your Boise Fire information in one mobile-friendly place! See link here.

• Evacuations are in place for residents near the fire area in Humboldt County. For the most current evacuation information please visit the Boise Fire linktree or visit:

✓ Humboldt County: Link.

✓ Siskiyou County: Link.

Leader’s Intent

The Boise Fire is being managed with a full suppression strategy.

Operational Update

On the fire’s western edge, crews continue to mop up and secure existing containment lines. Hazardous trees are being felled along interior roadways. Improvements continue to be made to the indirect dozer lines. Two spike camps are being utilized near the fire’s edge to decrease firefighters’ travel time. Where feasible, suppression repair and road system improvements have started. Firefighters will be backhauling hose, equipment, and other unnecessary items in areas where they are no longer needed.

Weather and Fire Behavior

High pressure will remain over the region this week. Temperatures may be above average for this time of year. As the vegetation dries out from the recent rains, more smoke may be visible from heavier fuels. During peak heat hours, upslope 8 mph winds are expected on the southern and western aspects, with gusts at 10-15mph. Under current conditions, additional fire spread is not likely.