According to Wood River Fire and Rescue, department units were dispatched to a wildland fire east of the Ohio Gulch Transfer Station at 1:25 p.m. last Friday, Sept. 16. The first WRFR unit arrived on scene at 1:35 p.m. and reported a half-acre fire and creeping. Within the next hour and a half, officials closed Ohio Gulch Road. And by 4:30 p.m., opened it again to traffic.
Additional units were requested from North Blaine County, Sun Valley Fire, Ketchum Fire, Hailey Fire, and Bellevue Fire. South Central Dispatch was notified, as the fire started on Blaine County land immediately adjacent to federal BLM property. The BLM sent multiple resources and requested air resources from Twin Falls and Pocatello. Unified Command was established with the BLM around 2:30 p.m. and the first SEAT (single-engine air tanker) made a retardant drop a half hour later.
Up to 45 firefighters helped battle the blaze. Initial estimates place the acreage at between 40–50 acres. The cause of the fire is under investigation. If you have any information, leave a voicemail for WRFR Chief Bateman (208) 788-5577, ext. 6200.