Deer Park Fire now 65 percent contained; minimal fire activity
Published at | Updated at
UPDATE:
The Deer Park Fire is well on its way to being contained.
The fire, located 12 miles from Rexburg on Bureau of Land Management property, is now measuring at 17,588 acres. It was 65 percent contained as of 7 p.m. Sunday.
BLM officials report the fire did creepy north during the afternoon and tested the fire lines, but as of 8 p.m. fire activity had died down and the grassland was mostly smoldering.
No buildings were damaged and no one was injured.
Full containment is expected by 8 p.m. Monday.
ORIGINAL STORY:
MENAN — The Deer Park Fire continued to expand Saturday night, but officials say the speed of expansion has slowed significantly.
The fire, which is burning on Bureau of Land Management property 12 miles west of Rexburg, is now measuring at 17,656 acres.
At present the fire is 30 percent contained. Fire crews have created dozers lines around the entire fire, and full containment is expected by 8 p.m. Monday, BLM spokeswoman Kelsey Griffee told EastIdahoNews.com.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office had evacuated some Plano residents in the path of the fire on Saturday evening, but they were allowed home at around 9:30 p.m. when the fire began creeping north with shifting winds, Griffee said.
No structures are threatened as of 11 a.m. Sunday.
#DeerParkFire is 17,656 acres. Dozer line is around a majority of the fire. No evacuations or structures threatened at this time #BLMIFDFire
— BLM Idaho Fire (@BLMIdahoFire) August 27, 2017
The Unified Sportsmen’s Club, off Idaho Highway 33, remains closed to the public as it is being used by firefighters as the incident command post.
At the moment about 20 fire engines, five dozers, three water tenders and 107 firefighters are battling the fire. Air tankers continue to drop retardant on the fire Sunday morning.
Weather could still be a hindrance for firefighters today. Highs of 85 to 92 degrees are expected Sunday with northeast winds of around 10 mph. Winds will pick up at night between 10 and 15 mph.
No structures have been damaged by the fire, and it has remained contained to sage brush and grass.
No injuries have been reported.
Authorities say the fire was caused by humans, but an exact cause has not been released.
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