Idaho has highest number of fires in nation

Idaho has the highest number of large wildfires of any state in the nation, according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise (http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html).

As of Saturday morning, there were 17 large wildfires burning in Idaho with a total of 234,451 acres involved. The newest fire is the Cuddy Complex which has burned 525 acres on the Payette National Forest. The fire is located 18 miles west of Council. It is burning in grass, sagebrush and timber. Group torching and rapid rates of spread were reported. Structures and power lines are threatened.

The other new fire in Idaho is the 62 Ridge Wildland Fire Use fire on the Nez Perce National Forest. It is at 176 Acres. This fire is 25 miles east of Lowell and is burning in ponderosa pine and Douglas fire.

One Idaho fire was also contained, the Dune on the Idaho Falls District of the Bureau of Land Management. This fire was contained at 1,688 acres.

There are also two Wildland Fire Use (WFU) fires over 100 acres, one on the Nez Perce National Forest (62 Ridge) and one on the Payette National Forest.

The Boise National Forest has the highest number of acres involved with 70,244. Numbers on the Salmon-Challis National Forest are close behind with 63,689 acres.

Washington has nine large fires and a total of 321,375 acres involved. The two largest fires in the state are the Tripod, 7 miles west of Winthrup, at 170,847 acres and the Columbia Complex near Dayton which has grown to 102,520 acres.

Montana, Oregon and Nevada each have seven large fires. Montana's Derby fire is the largest at 205,000 acres. It is 55 percent contained.

According to NIFC, initial attack activity was light nationally since Friday with 134 new fires reported. Seven new large fires were reported, four in Montana, two in Idaho and one in Nevada. Fire fighters contained four large fires yesterday, one each in Washington, Idaho and two in Nevada.

NIFC is forecasting a low pressure system will move across the Northwest this weekend that will bring windy and cooler weather along with higher humidity. Thunderstorms should become wetter and shift eastward this weekend. Conditions for much of the West will moderate Sunday before warmer and drier weather returns early next week.

For a map of major fires, check this web site: http://activefiremaps.fs.fed.us/lg_fire2.php