UPDATE (8/29, 10:45 a.m.): The Wapiti Fire has now burned over 89,714 acres and is zero percent contained. As a reminder, this fire was started by lightning near Grandjean on July 24.
A community meeting will be hosted tonight at 6 p.m. at the Stanley Community Building, and will be livestreamed on Facebook. If evacuation zone 2 moves into "GO" status, the meeting will only be virtual.
State Highway 21 is still closed from east of Lowman to Stanley (MP84 to MP130) due to wildfire activity. Currently, Highway 75 remains open.
Public information officers will be available today at the Sourdough Lodge in Lowman to answer questions from the community. They will be there from 4 to 6 p.m.
UPDATE (8/28, 8:36 a.m.): The Wapiti Fire has now burned 79,745 acres as of Wednesday morning. The Custer County Sheriff's Office has updated evacuation zones, after Zone 2, which includes the Lower Stanley area, was evacuated last night.
Zone 1 and Zone 2 lower section, the red areas highlighted on the map, are in "GO" status, meaning those areas are in immediate evacuation. Zone 2 upper section, the yellow area on the map which includes Stanley, is in "SET" status, which is pre-evacuation and people should be packed and ready to leave quickly if they must evacuate.
Zone 3 is in "READY" status, so people in that area should be doing things like cleaning up their properties of flammable materials, creating a family communication plan and preparing things to go like medications, priceless family possessions and other things of importance.
UPDATE (8/27, 10:16 p.m.): The Custer County Sheriff's Office announced on Facebook that all evacuations of the lower section of Zone 2, which includes the lower Stanley area, are complete. They are getting a new map of the zones to share, and zone status may change by Wednesday morning.
The sheriff's office also apologized for the miscommunication regarding the status of Highway 75. The Idaho Transportation Department reported it was closed, but it remains open at this time.
The Casino zone and zones 3 and 4 remain in "Ready" status at this time. If changes happen throughout the night, people will be notified by deputies and the sheriff.
UPDATE (8/27, 8:43 p.m.): An emergency evacuation has been ordered for the lower part of Zone 2, which includes lower Stanley and the Gateway Communities. The Custer County Sheriff's Office posted on Facebook that people living in those areas should leave immediately.
The Custer County Sheriff's Office said on Facebook the Idaho Transportation Department reported Highway 75 was closed by mistake. The highway is open for the time being, but both sides of Highway 21 going north along Canyon Creek, and along the south side of the highway as it continues from Banner Summit toward Stanley are still closed.
A cold front is moving through, bringing breezy to gusty winds according to the National Weather Service in Pocatello. Smoke models show smoke from the Wapiti Fire moving southeast across southeast Idaho.
A cold front will move through tomorrow morning bringing breezy to gusty winds. There is currently an air quality advisory out by DEQ for Custer County. The HRRR smoke model shows smoke from the Wapiti fire moving southeast across southeast Idaho. #idwxhttps://t.co/T8JStmuIzb pic.twitter.com/FLXfiGB2KM
— NWS Pocatello (@NWSPocatello) August 28, 2024
A Red Cross Shelter has been set up at the Church of Latter Day Saints in Challis and another will be set up in Ketchum.
UPDATE (8/27, 9:45 a.m.): Fire officials say activity has increased on the Wapiti Fire and it is moving into Crooked Creek. A very large air tanker (VLAT) and large air tankers (LAT) have been ordered to create a retardant line south of Iron Creek and east of highway 21.
The line will also serve as a line between the fire and Stanley.
Crews began defensive firing operations Monday night in an attempt to create a defensible line between the approaching fire and "values at risk." Temperatures are expected to increase Tuesday, with drying fuels and increased sunlight, along with winds expected to shift out of the northwest.
The Wapiti Fire has burned 70,271 acres as of Tuesday morning. A community meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Lowman Fire Station.
UPDATE (8/26, 8:20 a.m.): Around 400 firefighters, hotshot crews, engines and water tenders are still on scene of the fast growing Wapiti Fire.
Evacuation orders are still in place for Stanley and Highway 21 remains closed from the Sour Dough Lodge in Lowman to Stanley due to wildfire activity. The fire has now burned 68,457 acres as of early Monday morning.
A planned escort was scheduled for those who are living in the Zone 1 evacuation area to check on their homes, but that has been canceled because of a lack of resources.
UPDATE (8/24, 1:20 p.m.): The Rocky Mountain Team is now the lead of the Wapiti Fire, burning near Grandjean and Stanley.
Evacuation zones have been updated, with notification Zone 2 in the SET status (be prepared to leave immediately) and Zone 3 in the READY status (have a plan and things ready to go). The Custer County Sheriff's Office said these could be changed quickly, depending on fire activity.
A wildfire evacuation center is open at the Stanley Community Center at 510 Eva Falls Ave in Stanley. The center offers information, support, snacks and water.
The Wapiti Fire has burned 45,000 acres as of 1:00 p.m. on Saturday and is 10% contained.
ORIGINAL STORY (8/23): Evacuation orders are in place for parts of Stanley due to the Wapiti Fire. Zone one, pictured below, was told to be prepared to go by 10 Friday morning, if not earlier, according to the Sawtooth Valley Wildland Fire Collaborative and the Custer County Sheriff’s Office.
The public can no longer access the Grandjean area because of closures. Residents have been evacuated.
The Wapiti Fire closure area was expanded to the north and east on Thursday and includes portions of the Sawtooth National Forest and the Salmon-Challis National Forest. The closure includes both sides of Highway 21 going north along Canyon Creek, and along the south side of the highway as it continues from Banner Summit toward Stanley.
The Idaho Transportation Department says to detour through Ketchum via State Highway 75. There is no estimated time for reopening Highway 21.
The Sawtooth Lodge said in a Facebook post it has lost three structures as of now and has been closed for over three weeks with no reopening date.
The Wapiti Fire has burned 35,631 acres and is 10% contained as of 8 a.m. Friday. The fire was started by lightning on July 24, about two miles southwest of Grandjean. Steep terrain, difficult access and unfavorable weather conditions have challenged firefighters, according to the InciWeb report.
The Northern Rockies Complex Incident Management Team 5 assumed command of the Wapiti Fire on Aug. 10, and is managing it along with the Bulltrout Fire and Middlefork Complex fires, which were all started by the same series of thunderstorms.
Stage one fire restrictions are in place in the Boise National Forest, meaning igniting, building, maintaining or using a fire unless it’s in a permanent firepit or grate is illegal. Smoking, unless in an enclosed vehicle or building or a developed recreation site, is also illegal under stage one fire restrictions.
