Single Publication

Fire Location 

• Dollar: 9.5 miles East of Cascade, Idaho
• Snag:  9.5 miles East of Cascade, Idaho

Size 

• Dollar: 1,233 acres
• Snag:  6,180 acres

Containment 

• Dollar: 0%
• Snag:  0%

Personnel 

• Dollar: 0
• Snag:  35

Start Date 

• Both Fires: 8/5/2024 

Cause 

• Both Fires: lightning 

Incident Commander 

Mike Johnston, Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team #7 

Summary: The Dollar and Snag Fires on the Boise National Forest started on the evening of August 5th after a storm system producing cloud-to-ground lightning moved through the area. Lightning has been determined as the cause of both fires. The Dollar and Snag Fires will be added to the West Mountain Complex which includes Boulder, Wapiti, and Bulltrout Fires on the Boise National Forest, and the Wolf Creek Fire on the Payette National Forest. The team is using a full suppression strategy on these lightning-caused fires. Great Basin CIMT 2 is shadowing Great Basin CIMT 7 today and will take command of the West Mountain Complex on Saturday, August 10th at 6am.

Weather | Anticipated Fire Behavior: Cloud cover and smoke moderated fire behavior and temperatures yesterday. It is expected to be warmer today with humidity holding steady in the 20% range. Thunderstorms are possible this afternoon. Outflow winds and a possibility of cloud to ground lightning would impact the fires. There is a low chance of wetting rains. Terrain driven winds will push the fires upslope and up canyon during the day, and down slope down canyon at night. Fires will continue to be active at night with the presence of a strong thermal belt.

Actions: Resources continue scouting the fire perimeters to develop a plan of access. Fire scars in the area may help slow the progression of these fires. A single Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) will be in place over both fire areas.

Dollar Fire: The Dollar Fire saw little movement yesterday. This fire burns in rock scree with a 2007 fire scar to its east. The fire will continue to spread north and flank east toward the South Fork Salmon River. To the west and south the fire will back and flank towards the North Fork Gold Fork drainage.

Snag Fire: The Snag Fire is burning in steep terrain with heavy fuel loading. These conditions paired with a warming and drying trend pose potential safety impacts to suppression resources. It is progressing to the southwest where backing fire behavior has been observed. It is also moving to the northeast towards Cougar Rock. Yesterday it crossed the 409 Road. A structure protection plan is being developed.

Important Information: The Valley County Sheriff’s Office issued a “ready” evacuation order for Warm Lake residents and the North Shore Lodge at Warm Lake on August 7th. This map can be found on Inciweb: https://tinyurl.com/bddhpaeu. A second “ready” evacuation order was issued on August 8th for the Horsethief area, including the YMCA Camp, and areas of Scott Valley. This map can also be found on Inciweb:  https://tinyurl.com/4vfj657x. The relevant areas are outlined in purple.

Ingress along the Warm Lake Highway on the east side of Scott Valley is closed. Currently, westbound traffic toward Cascade along the Warm Lake Highway is allowed. Residents and recreators in the area will be notified of the closure. Residents not currently at their homes will be granted one-time access into the Warm Lake area to retrieve animals and other property if they can provide a valid address. Anyone who remains in the area should be prepared for a full closure of the Warm Lake Highway and have enough fuel to exit the area via the Deadwood area or Lick Creek Road. As a reminder, the South Fork Road remains closed due to construction unrelated to the Snag Fire.

Review the READY, SET, GO evacuation procedure for Valley County: https://www.co.valley.id.us/ReadySetGo

For timely information on evacuations, sign up for Valley County’s emergency alert: https://www.co.valley.id.us/CompleteEmergencyNotificationandAlerting. 

The Boise National Forest has issued closure order # 0402-04-100 for the National Forest System (NFS) roads, trails and lands around the Snag Fire. For a map and a more detailed description of the closure please visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/boise/alerts-notices

Stage 1 Fire Restrictions have been issued for the West Central Mountains Fire Restrictions Area on the Boise National Forest.  For more information on the restrictions and a very helpful interactive map, visit https://www.idl.idaho.gov/fire-management/fire-restrictions-finder/.