Featherville Road open; Trinity Ridge closure area reduced

A firefighter pauses for a short break while fighting the Trinity Ridge Fire, which is slowly being brought under control.

The road to Featherville is now open. The Elmore County Sheriff made the decision, in cooperation with the fire incident command, to reopen road to Featherville Thursday.

The Boise National Forest also reduced the size of the closure area around the Trinity Ridge Fire, effective Thursday, Sept. 6. A map of the new closure area, is shown here (at left -- click to enlarge)).

The Trinity Ridge Fire is increasingly slowing, cooling and diminishing in intensity.

Along the western flank of the fire, crews are continuing to prepare the Middle Fork Road for the fire's approach. Helicopters are being used to slow the fire's movement toward the Middle Fork of the Boise River. Hotshot crews have completed firelines in the Pete, Repeat, Big Five and Sheep Creek drainages and are shifting their work to securing the fire edge and mopping up.

On the northern side, fire activity in West Warrior Peak is being patrolled and monitored by air. Crews are also using brush-shredding equipment to finish a contingency fireline from Thorn Creek Butte to Rabbit Creek Summit.

In the southern quadrant of the fire, crews have secured the flank and are now mopping up and monitoring the fire. Helicopters will continue to cool hotspots in isolated areas where the fire skipped pockets of fuel. Overall, the southern and eastern flanks of the fire are looking increasingly secure.

Weather conditions today are expected to continue to be warm and dry over the fire area. Winds today are going to be calmer after the passage of yesterday's front.

Elmore Sheriff Deputies are patrolling the closure areas and may issue citations to anyone violating the Road Closed signs and barricades.

The Trinity Ridge Fire has burned 145,787 acres (228 square miles) and is now considered to be 56 percent contained. Some areas are expected to burn until snowfall arrives in October, however.

A total of 1,181 Forest Service firefighters from 21 fireline crews, 41 engines, five dozers, 21 water tenders and 12 helicopters are fighting the fire.

It has cost more than $34.6 million to fight the fire so far.

There have been 12 firefighters injured, although none seriously so far (one was hospitalized overnight). Four structures and eight outbuildings, mostly belonging to the Forest Service, have been lost. The fire began Aug. 3 when a private all-terrain utility vehicle caught fire along a remote road of Trinity Ridge.

Evacuations are still in place for Dutch Creek, Swanholm, Weatherby and Queen River campgrounds. Many roads are currently closed, including:

* Road 227 at the county line east of Baumgartner Campground (the campground is closed).

* Intersection of Highway 20 and Forest Highway 61 (Pine-Featherville Road).

* Intersection of Lester Creek Road and Lake Creek Road.