Idaho’s fairly quiet fire year is reflected in its bank account, with this year’s wildfire bill coming in far less than average.
Wetter weather and cooler temperatures across much of the state this summer may have helped it avoid shelling out tens of millions of dollars in putting out fires.
Another big factor? Roughly 210,000 acres burned across the state, but just 8,000 acres sparked up on state lands.
“This was, again, a fairly good fire year. If you compare it to almost 585,000 acres burning in 2017, this was not a terrible year,” said Rob Sepich, the legislative analyst who handles the Idaho Department of Lands budget.
Sepich gave an update the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee earlier this week.
As of Oct. 4, state officials had spent about $9.2 million. That’s less than half of the average bill over the last decade.
That trend played out across the Mountain West states this year, too.
There will be about $48 million left in Idaho's account to cover next year’s fire season, with budget officials saying they don’t expect to need any extra cash from state lawmakers.
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