Sand Creek Fire in Fremont County grows to 1,500 acres; evacuation order continues
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ASHTON — The Sand Creek Fire in Fremont County grew to more than 1,500 acres by Saturday morning, but crews are making significant progress in halting the wildfire.
According to Eastern Idaho Interagency Fire officials, the fire ignited at about 10:45 a.m. Friday between Lower Arcadia Reservoir and Mikesell Reservoir 2, west of Ashton in the Sand Creek area.
Overnight, crews continued creating preliminary fire lines around the blaze.
RELATED | Evacuations underway as Sand Creek Fire continues to grow in Fremont County
Late Friday afternoon, Fremont County issued an evacuation order for the Sand Creek Ponderosa and Cedar Ridge subdivisions and a 5-mile radius around the Sadorus Hill area. That order remains in effect for Saturday. Officials warn residents not to attempt to enter the area until an all-clear alert is given.
No injuries have been reported thus far; however, structures are threatened, and Interagency spokeswoman Juley Smith tells EastIdahoNews.com that a rural outbuilding was destroyed.
The fire remains fairly active, and there are concerns about its continued spread on Saturday due to expected thunderstorms and high winds.
About 130 firefighters from local and federal agencies are battling the blaze, with support from air tankers and helicopters.
The cause of the Sand Creek Fire was lightning, according to Smith.
As of 9:30 a.m., Saturday, the fire was 0% contained, and there is no estimate for full containment.
EastIdahoNews.com will update this article as more details are released.
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