Idaho
Idaho’s Bench Lake Fire grows to more than 2,000 acres; 8% containment reported • Idaho Capital Sun
More than 300 firefighters continued to fight the Bench Lake Fire burning in Idaho’s Sawtooth National Forest, achieving 8% containment on Friday as the fire grew to more than 2,000 acres, fire officials said.
The fire started July 11 and is burning near Redfish Lake and the iconic Redfish Lake Lodge near the town of Stanley.
Crews have used pumps and hoses to water Redfish Lake Lodge and other structures in the area, according to the Great Basin team four public information office’s interagency InciWeb report on the fire.
Sawtooth National Recreation Area officials have issued emergency closures for the Redfish Lake Recreation Complex, including the lodge, trails, campgrounds and roads in the vicinity.
In an update posted Friday morning, fire officials said the firefighters’ efforts were paying off. Altogether, 346 firefighters, six helicopters, 14 engines and two scooper planes were fighting the Bench Lake Fire.
“Structure protection efforts at Redfish Lake Lodge and adjacent facilities are proving successful,” the Great Basin team four public information office wrote. “Pumps and hoses continue to spray water increasing the relative humidity, making it harder for any fire embers to ignite adjacent fuels. Crews near upper Bench Lakes have made substantial progress building containment lines in the extremely rugged terrain.”
The Times-News reported on Wednesday that it may take a major rain storm or snowfall to completely put out the fire. That’s according to Sawtooth National Recreation Area Ranger Kirk Flannigan, who addressed the impacts of the fire in front of almost 200 people gathered at a town hall meeting in Stanley, according to the Times News.
The cause of the Bench Lake Fire remained under investigation as of Friday. Once again this year, more Idaho fires have been caused by people than lighting, according to the Idaho Department of Lands fire division.
Crews achieve 10% containment of Texas Fire burning east of Kendrick, Idaho
Crews fighting the Texas Fire that is burning east of Kendrick in Latah County reported achieving 10% containment of the fire, fire officials said Friday morning.
The human-caused fire started July 15. As of Friday morning, 175 firefighters were fighting the Texas Fire, according to a news release issued Friday by the Idaho Department of Lands.
On Wednesday, the Lewiston Tribune reported that four structures have burned in the fire and others have been threatened since the fire ignited.
As of early Friday afternoon, Level 3 evacuation status was still in effect for the Cedar Creek Canyon Area. For the latest evacuation statues for the Texas Fire, visit the Latah County Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook page.
BLACKFOOT — A large contingent of Blackfoot Police officers has cordoned off an area near the Taco Bell on Parkway Drive in Blackfoot.
Police responded around 5 p.m., according to multiple witnesses who contacted EastIdahoNews.com.
EastIdahoNews.com has reached out to Blackfoot Police for details.
We will update this story as we learn more.
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MISSOULA, Mont. — An Idaho Falls angler is back in the Idaho record books after landing a record-setting lake trout at Payette Lake.
Idaho Fish and Game said Dylan Smith caught and released a 43.25-inch lake trout on May 2, setting a new state catch-and-release record for the species. The fish surpassed the previous record of 42 inches.
The catch marks Smith’s second appearance in Idaho’s record books. He previously held the state catch-and-release lake trout record after landing a trophy fish in 2018 before that mark was later broken.
According to Fish and Game, Payette Lake has become one of Idaho’s premier lake trout fisheries thanks to years of management efforts aimed at improving both lake trout and kokanee populations.
Pride Month looks different this June along Boise’s Harrison Boulevard, where a long-standing tradition of hanging Pride flags on lamp posts has been put on hold after a new state law restricted which flags can be flown on government property.
For several years, Pride flags lined lamp posts along Harrison Boulevard in Boise’s North End neighborhood. But Idaho House Bill 561, signed by Gov. Brad Little in March, restricts which flags can be flown on government property, including the City of Boise’s Harrison lamp posts.
In response, a group of neighbors formed Pride North End and launched a distribution effort to help residents show support from their own front yards. The group has been making Pride flags and yard signs available to people who want to display them at home.
“I thought that I would…be a personal example of ‘yes, this is what I do.’ This is what I believe in,” said Edna Schochat, a North End resident.
Pride North End has already distributed more than 900-yard signs and 250 flags. The group’s original donation goal was around $2,000 to order 100 flags and 200 yard signs, but it has exceeded that GoFundMe goal, reaching $10,000 worth of donations.
The group plans to continue holding public flag and sign distributions through the end of the month.
“We cannot just say something without doing something that proves that we mean what we say,” Schochat said.
Pride North End said any leftover funds after materials are distributed will go to local LGBTQ+ nonprofits. A link to the group’s GoFundMe can be found here.
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