Idaho's wildfire situation is showing signs of improvement as cooler weather and firefighting progress bring several major incidents toward full containment. The state hosts five active large fires on the national roster as of September 18, down significantly from peak season.

Active Idaho Fires

The following large fires remain active in Idaho as of the latest NIFC situation report:

  • Cascade Fire — Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests, 7,475 acres, 70% contained. Located approximately 19 miles east of Lowell. Contact: 208-935-6134.
  • Doublesprings Fire — Salmon-Challis National Forest, 1,779 acres, 70% contained. Located 31 miles from Challis.
  • Upper Smith Fire — Idaho Panhandle National Forest, 4,848 acres, 41% contained. Located approximately six miles west of Porthill in the northern panhandle. The fire involves timber, brush, and grass fuels with backing, creeping, and smoldering fire behavior. Communication infrastructure and structures are threatened; area, road, and trail closures remain in effect.
  • Crooked Fire — Boise National Forest, 10,081 acres, 100% contained. Located 14 miles northeast of Idaho City.

Big Grass Fire: A Season-Defining Incident

Idaho's most significant fire of the season — the Big Grass Fire in Owyhee County — was declared fully contained on September 13, following an extraordinary suppression effort. At its peak, the Big Grass Fire was among the largest wildfires in Idaho's recorded history, with Governor Brad Little declaring a fire disaster emergency and deploying the Idaho National Guard to assist suppression operations.

The fire burned primarily through sagebrush-steppe rangeland in the Jordan Valley area along the Oregon-Idaho border, threatening livestock operations, range resources, and rural infrastructure. The Big Grass Fire also had significant ecological impact, burning vast acres of critical Greater Sage-Grouse habitat.

Red Flag Warnings Drive Late-Season Vigilance

Despite containment progress, fire managers in Idaho are maintaining vigilance. Red Flag Warnings on September 17 covered the Northern and Southern Boise National Forests, including the Camas Prairie, as thunderstorm activity and critically low humidity threatened to produce new fire starts and challenge suppression of ongoing incidents.

A Fire Weather Watch was also issued for parts of Western Shoshone, Lincoln, Northern Twin Falls, and Gooding counties as a low-pressure system moved through the region. Isolated thunderstorms with dry lightning potential accompanied the system into the Idaho panhandle.

Looking Ahead

Northern Idaho and the Panhandle region typically see fire season taper off earlier than southern Idaho and the Snake River Plain, as maritime moisture from the Pacific begins influencing higher elevations. However, burn areas from this season's fires create hazardous post-fire conditions — debris flows, falling trees, and erosion — that will require caution from backcountry users throughout fall and winter.

For current information on Idaho fire incidents, visit InciWeb at inciweb.wildfire.gov or contact the relevant Forest Service or BLM field office.