HEISE, Idaho (KIFI) — As crews continue working to put out hot spots near Heise Hot Springs, the Big Rock Fire remains within its existing perimeter.
“I really think we have to give a huge round of applause to all of our firefighters, because they really did protect structures,” Jefferson County Public Information Officer Kimberly Murphy said. “I mean, some of those fires came really close to those property lines, but they were able to keep all the campsites, all of the buildings themselves. They really limited the damage in this fire, which is really impressive.”
Currently, there are no visible or active flames on the mountain, only puffs of smoke, charred debris and rocks that are scalding to the touch.
Although there are no visible flames, the fire is still listed at 0% containment by Watch Duty. However, containment does not necessarily indicate whether a fire is actively burning.
“When a fire is contained, that means there’s no fingers or branches or anything that could spark a fire again,” Murphy said. “And right now, there are some areas of green within these canyons and such that could ignite again. And so that’s why we can’t say that fire is contained at that point. But it’s not growing today.”
Fire crews are working to cut and remove debris from the area. With more than 200 personnel assigned to the fire, officials are asking anyone who does not have access to property in the area to stay away and give crews room to work.
Jefferson County is also reminding property owners not to return to their property until they have been given explicit permission to do so.
