The Pocatello wildfire that destroyed 66 homes and caused the evacuation of more than 1,000 people last week has been contained.
Crews began fighting the fire last Thursday. They had it contained by Monday morning.
Lieutenant Paul Manning of the Pocatello Police Department says today will be the last day fire crews work the scene, but they’ll continue to limit access to the area. “We’re keeping the area secure, meaning that all the residents can only enter the area with proof of residency,” says Manning.
“We’re just trying to be respectful of their needs and give them some time to, you know, absorb the loss without having a lot of ‘lookie-loos.’” That arrangement will probably last a few days, according to Manning.
He adds even though the fire is out, law enforcement will work on aggressively enforcing a fireworks ban for Pocatello and Bannock County. “A fireman lost his house in the fire. A policeman lost his house in the fire,” says Manning.
“Myself and a couple of others, we were trying to evacuate our houses by cell phone while we were trying to work the incident. So law enforcement probably has a dim view on people blatantly violating the fireworks ban.”
Someone caused the fire, but no word yet on exactly how it started.
Copyright 2012 Boise State Public Radio