The sky across much of Idaho is noticeably diminished as smoke from a range of wildfires hovers in the atmosphere. As firefighters continue to battle large fires in the western and central regions of the state, meetings to keep area residents up to speed are planned.
Three huge wildfires continue to chew through parched landscapes. The Mesa Fire, Sharps Fire and Rattlesnake Creek Fire are all still active.
Burning in the Wood River Valley, the Sharps Fire has grown to around 60 square miles. Only about 20 percent contained, it’s continuing to tear through dry land and into the Sawtooth National Forest.
In an effort to keep area residents apprised of the situation, Kim Osborn, who’s with the Great Basin team overseeing the fire, says officials are holding an informational meeting at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 1 at Carey Elementary School.
“Our incident commander on our team is going to be discussing kind of what our plan is – what’s happened with the fire” Osborn says.
In the western region of the state, the Mesa Fire is burning through brush and timber near Council. An info meeting regarding that blaze is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 3 evening at Council Elementary.
Amy Baumer, a spokesperson for the Mesa Fire, says a previous gathering where firefighters outlined plans drew a sizeable audience.
“We had a little over 100 people attend in person and we had about 200 people that consistently stayed on watching the live stream on Facebook,” says Baumer.
No mandatory evacuations are in place for the Mesa Fire, but people in some areas near the blaze are being told to be prepared to leave.
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