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MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho (KIFI) – As a fast-moving inferno quickly engulfed 300 acres Tuesday near Mountain Home, one Idaho State University student rolled up his sleeves in a volunteer effort to repel the fire.

“It’s like 40 mile-an-hour winds and that fire is moving fast,” said Cody Rhatigan, a senior at ISU who was born and rasied in Mountain Home. “So we’ve seen that fire get really close to our house. The property right behind us, the barn started burning. So we thought it was going to creep over. We definitely thought it was going to get our house, but, thankfully it didn’t.”

Firefighters were busy tackling flames on the other side of the highway, leaving Rhatigan, his father and their neighbors on their own to battle the fire.

“My dad actually on a tractor, drove down on the property right next to us and started just drawing a line with the tractor, and it stopped the fire from reaching our property. The fire unfortunately reached the property behind us,” Rhatigan said. “It burned down a cabin and a couple other structures – didn’t burn down his house, thankfully.”

The fight against the flames was a team effort.

“I went down the road to our other neighbor, our other neighbor’s house, and got sprinklers and stuff and started helping them out, trying to keep the fire down, because down the road they were really getting close.”

One law enforcement deputy remains hospitalized Wednesday night, and five others were treated and released.

“I am pleased to announce that the deputy is recovering nicely and expects to be released from the hospital in the next few days,” said Elmore County Sheriff Mike Hollinshead.

Idaho State Police Captain Michael Winans did not elaborate on her injuries but shared that she was injured after becoming trapped by flames while evacuating residents.

“The wind had shifted, and the fire came incredibly close to where she got trapped, basically – was unable to get out [from] where she was,” he said.

No casualties have been reported from the fire.

The fire is 100 percent contained with crews continuing to put out hot spots.

“I gotta give big props to Mountain Home PD and, and everyone – all the first responders, BLM, Mountain Home Fire Department, all of them,” Rhatigan said. “They they definitely came in clutch and saved a lot of our houses.”

While he didn’t place himself in that list of heroes, Rhatigan, his Dad and his neighbors’ efforts against the blaze also saved multiple residences from devastation.

Rhatigan will return to Pocatello this fall to finish his final semester studying journalism at Idaho State University.

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — A local group of friends went from a snowmobile photoshoot to national television. A vow renewal gone wrong landed them on America’s Funniest Home Videos.

Most people helping a friend with a photoshoot hope for a few good pictures. This local group of friends ended up with something a little bigger — a viral moment, a spot on America’s Funniest Home Videos, and a chance at winning some serious money.

OOPSIE DAISY

What started as a vow renewal photoshoot quickly turned into a moment nobody planned.

All because the bride got dumped — but not in the traditional way.

She got dumped off the back of a snowmobile while her husband attempted a wheelie… while she was wearing a wedding dress. And it was all caught on camera.

Thankfully, the snow was soft.

Bailey Clark and her husband, Red, have been married for seven years and have been snowmobiling together nearly as long. When their friend — and wedding officiant — Patricia Naumoff needed models to show off the extreme wedding packages she offers, they signed up. Or should we say revved up?

Clark and Red decided to turn the photoshoot into a vow renewal of their own, featuring snowmobiles. When they decided to take action shots, Clark had no idea just how much her husband would sweep her off her feet.

“I knew I needed to hold on because we were getting ready to pop some wheelies,” Clark recalled. “I told him to go too soon and off I went… I got bucked off.”

If you zoom in closely on the footage, you can see Clark trying to get a good grip.

While Clark was snowmobile somersaulting, Naumoff had already finished the vow renewal and was filming extra footage at just the right moment. She had a front-row seat to the bridal blunder.

“It was just so priceless to have her upside down like that,” Naumoff said. “When you slow it down and go back and forth, all you see is her feet in the air. I panicked, and all you see is snow [at the end of the clip], because I’m running toward her to make sure she was okay.”

And she was okay.

Photographer Abbey Morales said the concern quickly turned into laughter.

“She got right back on and we got more shots, and we just laughed so hard,” Morales said.

“I heard my husband kind of chuckle and then I started laughing,” Clark remembers.

AFV APPROVES

Turns out, the footage Naumoff caught was pure gold.

She immediately knew she needed to send it to AFV. She didn’t even ask permission, knowing her fun-loving friends would be on board.

Naumoff said the process was painless — just an easy form to fill out — and soon after, she received a text saying they’d made it onto the show.

She still remembers the excitement.

“I go, ‘You can’t believe this,'” Naumoff said. “I forwarded the text and of course everyone goes, ‘Oh my God!'”

When the episode aired later in the year, the group knew they had to have a watch party.

Clark grew up watching AFV and said it was surreal to suddenly be part of the show she watched as a kid.

Her two sons even wondered if she was okay after watching the crash play out on TV.

SOCIAL STORM

The fame from the marital mishap didn’t stop there.

After the clip was posted to Instagram, even photographer Abbey Morales didn’t expect what came next.

“We had no idea the number of users it would potentially get,” Morales said. “It did not get featured in any magazine, which was our goal, but it surpassed our goals of getting people to see what fun you can have out here.”

The original plan was simple: Morales and Naumoff wanted to showcase the unique weddings and elopements Wyoming has to offer — from beautiful scenery to breathtaking photos.

Instead?

The video of Clark snowmobile somersaulting in a wedding dress exploded online, earning more than 200,000 Instagram views.

“It’s hysterical that it’s become so popular,” Clark said.

MORE TO COME

And the three friends may not be done yet.

Naumoff said both Klim and Polaris have hinted they may send some kind of gift for helping show off their products, though they still haven’t heard anything official.

After the original AFV airing in November, the group was awarded a single T-shirt — which, of course, went to the bride.

But AFV says they’re still in the running for bigger prizes. They’re hoping the snowmobile snafu keeps gaining momentum.

When asked what her dream outcome from the whole experience would be, Naumoff said:

“It would be lovely if we won a hundred thousand dollars.”

But even without a prize, she says the memory itself is worth it.

“Oh my gosh. It’s forever in our memories.”

And if they did win?

When asked whether they’d buy more snowmobiles with the money, Naumoff’s answer was simple:

“Probably.”

We’ll update this story if they advance on America’s Funniest Home Videos.

To follow along with more of their adventures, you can find Patricia Naumoff, Bailey Clark and Abbey Morales on Instagram.