Rabbit Foot Fire continues rapid growth — now at 26,000 acres

CHALLIS — The Rabbit Foot wildfire grew another 3,200 acres Tuesday — bringing the total size of the blaze to 26,294 acres as of Wednesday morning.

The forest and grass fire, located 22 miles north of Challis in the Salmon-Challis National Forest, has been burning since it was ignited by lightning on Aug. 2.

More firefighters continue to be deployed to fight the still-growing fire. A total of 529 local and national firefighters are currently working to establish fire and contingency lines, and to eliminate fuel for the fire to burn. The structure protection and assessment group continues to work along the U.S. Highway 93 corridor to protect structures that may become threatened by the fire.

The fire is zero percent contained, and no estimate on containment has been made.

Weather conditions continue to favor the fire, although the weather has improved since the weekend. Temperatures are ranging from between 70 to 80 degrees with humidity in the single digits and light winds of 10 mph. Gusts of up to 20 mph are possible.

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

There will be a community meeting Wednesday evening at the Salmon High School at 6 p.m. Fire officials will be present to discuss the Rabbit Foot Fire and answer questions from the public.