No wildfires in area, just controlled burns, fire officials say - East Idaho News
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No wildfires in area, just controlled burns, fire officials say

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ST. ANTHONY — A large number of people contacted EastIdahoNews.com on Thursday and Friday about smoke and possible wildfires in Madison or Fremont counties.

But fire officials say there isn’t anything to worry about.

Fremont County Fire Chief Chris Hill tells EastIdahoNews.com the large plumes of smoke in the Egin Desert area near St. Anthony are just controlled burns on private farm land.

“It’s on private land, and they told us they are just burning slash piles,” Hill said.

Slash piles are heaps of sagebrush and dead vegetation that are typically burned by farmers prior to the growing season.

Bureau of Land Management fire spokeswoman Jesse Bender confirmed no wildfires are burning on federal lands in eastern Idaho.

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Photo by Jamilee Neumann Smith. Taken near the St. Anthony Sand Dunes on Friday.

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Photo by Elissa Hyndman

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Photo by Elissa Hyndman

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Photo by Michael La Course

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