Firemen handle car, brush fires

A brush fire along I-84 at milepost 92 burned five acres.

Fire crews from Mountain Home responded to two fires during the last week, while forest service and BLM crews put out several small blazes touched off by lightning last week.

Sunday, the Mountain Home Fire Department responded to a report of a small grass fire at milepost 92 along I-84. Assistant Fire Chief Bud Corbus said gusting winds quickly drove the fire to five acres before it could be contained.

MHFD crews also put out a vehicle fire Sunday at McDonalds. A handicapped woman and her son, from Boise, had stopped there on their way to Twin Falls when the vehicle caught on fire and was functionally destroyed. The pair were able to save some belongingss and their pets. Because their insurance wouldn't cover it, fire Capt. Rick Van Meer loaded them up in his personal vehicle and drove them back to their home in Boise.

Dry lightning also sparked several small fires over the weekend in the mountains, and two small fires were reported south of Bruneau. All were quickly controlled. None exceeded four acres.

Fire officials urged everyone to be "fire wise" in the coming weeks. Dry conditions and large amounts of "fuel" in the form of dried cheatgrass have turned the area into a tinderbox.