Update: 10:04 p.m.: The Little Queens Fire has now burned 7000 acres. Officials say it's within four miles of Atlanta. Fire managers say winds shifted late Sunday and pushed the fire towards the town. There is no containment. A Type Two incident command team will take over management of the fire Tuesday. Sixty-two people have been assigned to work the fire.
Update 11:18 a.m.: The Middle Fork Boise River Road and Swanholm Road within the Boise National Forest are closed.
Original story: The historic mining town of Atlanta in Elmore County is under a mandatory evacuation order that will take effect at noon Monday. The Little Queens Fire grew significantly overnight. As of Sunday night, the fire was about 6 miles northwest of Atlanta. There’s a community meeting scheduled for Monday at 11:30 a.m. at Beaver Lodge in Atlanta.
The fire has burned about 1,000 acres. Parts of the Boise and Sawtooth National Forest were closed Saturday due to public safety threats.
Forest Service Air Attack personnel found the Little Queens Fire in the Sawtooth Wilderness on Saturday. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Here’s more on area closures:
“The closed area within the Boise National Forest is generally bounded by the Middle Fork Boise River Road (Forest Road 268) from Atlanta heading west to the junction with the Swanholm Road (Forest Road 327) then north to Trail 057 then east to Forest Road 312 until it meets the Sawtooth Wilderness Boundary, and then south along the Wilderness boundary to Forest Road 205 at its junction with the Middle Fork Boise River Road. ~Boise National Forest press release
You can still use the Middle Fork Boise River Road and Swanholm Road. Forest officials say anyone caught violating the closure order could face a fine or of $5,000 or more.
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