Residential evacuations were ordered south of Boise on Thursday evening as a wildfire sparked and pushed northwest, the Bureau of Land Management Idaho reported.
At 7:45 p.m., residents near South Pleasant Valley Road and West Thompson Road were urged to leave because of a grass fire named the Range Fire. People near South Pleasant Valley Road and Interstate 84 south of Blacks Creek Road were placed on a warning to prepare to evacuate if needed, according to the Ada County Sheriff’s Office.
The Range Fire had already burned more than 8,000 acres.
Crews on the fire included four fire engines, two dozers, a water tender and one overhead resource. They were fighting the fire trying to slow its spread and protect homes. At last update from the BLM, firefighters were still working to gain control.
Pleasant Valley Road south of Kuna Mora is closed, the Ada County Sheriff’s Office reported.
A combination of lightning and gusty wind swept through the Boise area in the early evening.
Official evacuation details are available through Ada County and the sheriff’s office.
This story was written by Kevin Fixler of the Idaho Statesman.