Firefighters making slow progress on Rabbit Foot Fire; now 5 percent contained

CHALLIS — Extreme weather and radio communications problems continue to hamper efforts to fight the Rabbit Foot Fire, but progress is being made.

The fire, located 22 miles north of Challis, is measuring about 34,518 acres within the Salmon-Challis National Forest. The spread of the fire has slowed considerably due to cooler temperatures and higher humidity over the last few days, but thunderstorms are still causing problems for firefighters.

At this point, most of the fire lines have been completed due to the hard work of the firefighters and favorable weather conditions, U.S. Forest Service officials say.

Firefighters are focusing their efforts on containment and control, rather than a direct attack due to the difficult terrain and high volume of fuel in the forest.

An opportunity in the Van Horn Creek area allowed firefighters to establish an anchor point and gain a foothold producing a 5 percent containment of the fires edge. Structure protection has also been a priority with 70 sprinklers kits already deployed, according to a U.S. Forest Service release.

The number of firefighters has decreased to 590, as crews work towards full containment. No estimate on full containment has been given.

A number of rural roads and trails remain closed in the area. For a comprehensive list click here.