Fire near Fort Hall Reservation grows, may impact traffic on I-15
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FORT HALL — The Two and a Half Fire continued to spread through the night and has scorched about 7,500 acres.
There is a possibility that traffic on Interstate 15, between the 2 1/2 Mile overpass and Fort Hall exit, “will be impacted by suppression efforts resulting in full or partial closure of the interstate,” according to a news release from BLM Fire.
An evacuation order was placed Thursday afternoon. Evacuees remain at the Shoshone-Bannock Casino Hotel and in Pocatello, Shoshone-Bannock Tribes spokeswoman Randy’L Teton told EastIdahoNews.com.
RELATED | Evacuation order issued for residents near Fort Hall fire
The fire is 0% contained, says BLM Fire spokesman Chris Burger, who told EastIdahoNews.com that wind caused the fire to move drastically through the night. There is no estimated timetable for containment and control, according to the news release.
Structures in the area of 2 1/2 Mile Road and East Ross Fork were threatened as of Thursday. Burger said none of those structures have sustained fire damage.
2 1/2 Mile Road and Ross Fork Road are closed to traffic.
An air quality warning and total ban on all open burning was put in place by the Environmental Protection Agency, according to a release posted to Facebook.
A weather model created by the National Weather Service’s Pocatello office predicts that smoke will create poor air quality and affect visibility in eastern Idaho through the night.
The Fort Hall Fire Department, BLM, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs Wildland and North Bannock County Fire Department have crews working the fire.
EastIdahoNews.com is expecting more details about the Two and a Half Fire early this afternoon and will provide them as they become available.