Single Publication

Bench Lake Fire Update

Monday, July 15, 2024

Start Date: July 11, 2024

Cause: Under Investigation

Size: 738 acres

Percent Containment: 0%

Helicopters: --

Scooper Planes: 2

Engines: 6

Crews: 5

Total Personnel: 211

Cooler temperatures and higher humidities aided firefighting efforts on Sunday.  Crews focused on containing small fires outside of the main fire’s edge.  This effort was concentrated primarily along the Redfish to Bench Lakes trail 101 system. 

Aerial resources including scooping aircraft and helicopters delivered over 370,000 gallons of water on the fire from Redfish Lake.  Gusty winds in the evening forced aircraft to stand down around 5:30 pm.  Additional aerial resources have been placed on order to further support crew efforts. 

Similar weather conditions are forecasted today. Tuesday begins a drying trend with a chance of thunderstorms later this week. The fire’s acreage will be updated when an infrared flight can be conducted; at this time, it’s estimated at 738 acres. Over 200 firefighting personnel are assigned to the incident and additional resources are being mobilized for the full suppression effort.

A structure protection group continues to work diligently at the north end of the lake.  Water pumps and hoses are being proactively deployed near Redfish Lodge and other structures. 

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Closures: Sawtooth National Recreation Area officials issued an emergency closure for the Bench Lake Fire (0414-04-147) July 12 for the Redfish Lake recreation complex, including the lodge and associated buildings, roads, trails, trailheads, and campgrounds in the area. Visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/sawtooth/alerts-notices for a map and more details on the closure order. Highway 75 remains open. The Bench Lake Fire Incident Command Post about 13 miles south of Stanley and the Redfish Lake road both have increased activity that warrant slowing down.