Stanley, Idaho (KMVT-TV) - The latest numbers from the Halstead fire now has the total acres burned at 140,366. The fire 3 miles north of Stanley is hanging in at only 7% contained. There will be a meeting at the Stanley Community Center tonight at 7:30pm on Wednesday, Sept. 5 at 7:30 p.m. Another one is scheduled at the Yankee Fork Work Center on Friday, Sept. 7 at 7:00 p.m. (bring your lawn chair). Yesterday, the fire continued to spread north and east yesterday, which was fanned by the winds. There were a few spot fires onto the west side of Marsh Creek that firefighters worked as soon as they were discovered. The fire is beginning to surround the Lost Packer Mine near Pinyon Peak. Firefighters continue to run sprinklers and attend to pumps in that are to help keep the fire from the private land. Firefighters continued conducting burnout operations using both hand firing and aerial techniques, behind the residences at Cow Camp and along Valley Creek. These operations produced a large column of smoke that was visible from Stanley and from Highway 21. Helicopters were used to help keep the fire away from the powerline to Stanley. Additionally, there is quite a bit of unburned fuel in the Harden Creek area and there will likely be large columns and potential spotting as the fire moves further into that drainage.
Today, firefighters will begin working on rehabilitation plans for the Bench, Copper and New fires. Firefighters will also continue holding the fire north of Highways 21 and 75 with the assistance of helicopters. Firefighters will be continuing the firing operations in the Valley Creek area. They will also be working on securing some of the line that they established behind the residences near Cow Camp as well as the areas north and west of Sunbeam and Yankee Fork. Firefighters will also work on establishing control lines at the features near Joe’s Gulch. They will continue to keep the pumps operational at the Seafoam Guard Station as the fire progresses that way. There is a Haines Index of 5 today. Haines Index is a numerical value that tells firefighters the potential for large wildfires to experience extreme fire behavior and is derived by looking at the instability and dryness of the air. The higher the number, the more extreme the behavior you can expect. The scale is from 2 to 6 with 6 being the most extreme.
Vehicles on the portion of Highway 75 between Stanley and Challis will be escorted by a pilot car. The affected section is from Stanley to Peach Creek (mile marker 206.6). Smoke, fire equipment and potential falling debris from the Halstead Fire has necessitated this action to protect motorists’ safety. Escorted traffic will continue until fire conditions change.