Idaho
Wounded 73-year-old survives 5 days in snowy Idaho backcountry without food or shelter after his raft flips
A 73-year-old boater whose raft capsized survived in the snowy Idaho backcountry for five days without food — before he was found just after he had given up and rescued, according to authorities.
Thomas Gray’s incredible tale of survival — which included eating snow, drinking creek water and hiking 23 miles with an injured leg — began during a three-day trip earlier this month on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River.
He was rafting down Dagger Falls on May 18 to meet his wife the next day when his boat flipped over, the Custer County Sheriff’s Office said.
Gray was thrown to the base of the falls and forced to swim to shore with the raft out of reach.
The septuagenarian, who had suffered a leg injury, hiked toward a launch site where he found shelter in an outhouse for two nights, the sheriff’s office said.
During the day, he unsuccessfully looked for other floaters on the Middle Fork.
After coming up empty, he then walked toward another location, the Fir Creek Pass, and found shelter at a snowmobile club trailer. While there was a wood stove in the trailer, Gray couldn’t find any matches, the sheriff said.
Meanwhile, authorities were furiously searching for the missing man after his punctured cataraft was discovered in the water.
After a night in the trailer, Gray continued on his journey toward the pass, but “became too exhausted” and laid down in the snow.
He hadn’t eaten food in days and was only relying on taking bites of snow and drinking water from the creeks to hang on, the sheriff’s office said.
“Tom was totally exhausted; he decided this was it. He just laid down in the snow and said a prayer,” said Custer County sheriff’s marine deputy John Haugh, according to KSL.
“He was resigned that this was not going to end well.”
But as he lay there in the snow, the owners of an excursion business spotted him.
Steve and Annie Lentz, of Far and Away River Adventures, quickly reached him with their vehicle and first responders who were on board rendered aid.
“If they hadn’t come along, he probably wouldn’t have lasted much longer,” Haugh said, according to the station. “He was in pretty bad shape when they got him.”
Gray’s younger brother, Robert Gray, actually died in 2022 when his raft flipped over in around the same area, Haugh reportedly said.
“Tom called me and said I was his ‘lifesaver,’ but I said, ‘No, I’m just your Uber deputy,’” Haugh said.
Idaho
“We won’t insure you”: Robie Creek homeowners struggle to get home insurance due to wildfire risks
ROBIE CREEK, Idaho — The Claremont Fire has brought wildfire risks to top of mind for neighbors living in places like Robie Creek, where residents saw Level 3 evacuations this week.
Many Idaho homeowners in rural areas like Boise County say they are having their home insurance policies dropped because of wildfire risks, leaving many scrambling to find coverage or going with none at all.
“This one was good — we knew it was coming, the one that was the Valley Fire in 2024 came up behind the hill. It was closer than this one even,” said Christian Dahlstrom, who has lived in Rocky Canyon since 2008.
WATCH | Hear from Robie Creek homeowners about being dropped from coverage with no luck getting re-insured
“We won’t insure you”: Robie Creek homeowners struggle to get home insurance due to wildfire risks
“I was insured since then until last year, so following the 2024 fire or fires, the insurance companies up here started reevaluating and they canceled a lot of folks and I was one of them,” Dahlstrom said.
He and many of his neighbors are now living without homeowners insurance because they can’t find a provider that will offer them full coverage.
“I have contacted every insurance carrier in the phonebook,” Dahlstrom said.
He said his mortgage company eventually insured the home, but only for the value of the mortgage. He could still lose everything if the home were destroyed in a fire.
“One insurance company said yep they’ll insure me but I had to take every single tree off the property. Well, then why am I living in the forest?” Dahlstrom added.
Others in Robie Creek say they are facing similar problems.
“And it’s not even a, well now you have to pay twice as much. It’s a we won’t insure you,” said Oscar Williamson.
Williamson recently bought a home in Robie Creek and said he needed insurance coverage to close on the property.
“We had gone through 40 different insurance companies to try to get it insured and nobody would ensure it they said it was in a high fire area,” Williamson said.
He nearly backed out of the purchase until his mortgage company offered limited coverage similar to Dahlstrom’s.
“You have no choice either run it without insurance or you don’t own the house,” Williamson said. “There should be an easier way of doing this.”
RELATED | “We’re all being canceled”: Idaho homeowners struggle to maintain home insurance amid wildfire risks
This is an issue affecting homeowners across the Treasure Valley and Idaho — residents in Garden Valley and the Boise Foothills have also reported losing coverage because of wildfire risk concerns.
RELATED | Idaho homeowners face insurance cancellations and rate hikes over wildfire risk
Boise Fire Chief Aaron Hummel says they’re working with partners to help reduce risks for homeowners and improve insurability.
“We also we’re trying to do our part with the Western Fire Chief Association, insurance carriers to see what can we do to use some of the contemporary tools to help mitigate some of this challenge,” Hummel said.
They are hoping to use new technology and grant funding to better protect homes in the wildland-urban interface.
“And essentially what we’re trying to do is leverage current AI technology and modeling tools to be very targeted in addressing areas that are vulnerable,” Hummel said.
You can find more information about Boise Fire’s goal to help reduce wildfire risks for homeowners here.
ADAMS COUNTY, Idaho — A brush fire burning near Old Highway 95 and Mesa prompted GO NOW evacuations, road closures and a power outage on Thursday in Adams County.
The Adams County Sheriff’s Office ordered people in the Mesa, Kilborn, Highland and Whitman areas to leave immediately.
Mesa Lane and Kilborn Lane have been closed, and officials are asking people to stay out of the area while firefighters work.
Idaho Power reported an outage between Mesa and Fruitvale Road and said crews are on scene.
Officials said livestock threatened by the fire can be taken to the Adams County Fairgrounds.
The sheriff’s office said its business phone lines were temporarily unavailable, but 911 remained operational for emergencies. Officials later said the phone system was restored.
CALDWELL, Idaho (CBS2) — More than 2,000 Idaho Power customers in Canyon County are without electricity Wednesday evening as crews respond to an outage affecting Caldwell and Middleton.
Idaho Power reported the outage at 8 p.m. July 8, listing 2,163 customers impacted in the 83605, 83644 and 83687 ZIP codes.
The outage is expected to be resolved by 10 p.m. July 8; Idaho Power said a crew was dispatched and en route. The cause of the outage is not immediately known.
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