Inkom fire out; crews remain on scene to monitor for hot spots
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The following is a news release from the Inkom Volunteer Fire Department.
The Inkom Volunteer Fire Department, along with the McCammon and Lava Hot Springs fire departments, were dispatched to a wildfire reported by a resident around 11:35 a.m. Thursday.
RELATED | Fire burning near Inkom
The fire was located east of Old Highway 91 in the Upper Rock Creek area, with steep terrain and a variety of fuels including grass, sagebrush, juniper and some larger trees.
Additional resources were requested from the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service a short time after local fire resources arrived.
Upper Rock Creek Road was closed for a few hours on Thursday for safety and to restrict access to local residents.
A total of four water tenders and seven engines with approximately 25 to 30 firefighters were used to gain containment of the fire by Thursday evening, despite steep terrain and strong, gusty winds.
Firefighters and two engines remained on scene overnight to monitor and respond to hot spots. A contract 20-person hand crew joined four engines Friday morning to continue monitoring and mopping up hotspots. Engines and crews are likely to remain through Saturday to monitor the fire area due to the forecast of strong, gusty winds.
Five structures, including homes, were threatened and none were damaged or destroyed. In addition, no injuries were reported. No lightning was reported in the area, and the cause of the fire is being investigated by the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office.
If you are planning any burning on your property, we recommend you contact your local fire department, get a burn permit, make sure you have plenty of water immediately available and closely monitor wind conditions prior to and during your burning. In addition, don’t leave any fire unattended or assume it is out because you don’t see visible smoke. Heat can remain trapped under matted grass that appears burned and reignite as temperatures rise, humidity falls or wind speeds increase during the day.
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