NEZ PERCE COUNTY, Idaho — A wildfire burning in Hells Canyon along the Snake River in Idaho has destroyed one cabin and two other structures.
Idaho Department of Lands, U.S. Forest Service, Clearwater-Potlatch Timber Protective Association, and Nez Perce County Emergency Management Services fire crews are fighting the fire, which is located near Wild Goose Rapids, about one mile north of China Garden Creek, and about 21 miles south of Lewiston.
As of Saturday evening, authorities said, the fire had burned 1,200 acres of grass, and had not actively grown since Friday. Containment is estimated at 75 percent. The Idaho Department of Lands says mop-up efforts are expected to begin Monday.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Red flag warnings were in effect until 8 p.m. Saturday. Slightly cooler weather is expected Sunday, with temperatures in the mid-80s.
Evacuations are in effect for people living along the Idaho side of the Snake River from Corral Creek to Dough Creek. Zaza Road is closed at the intersection of Zaza Road and Deer Creek.
Resident LynnDee Frasure-Wilks said the cabin that was lost was an iconic spot owned by the same person for about 40 years. She said no one was there at the time and everyone is OK.
Frasure-Wilks said the community of cabins is tight-knit and most of them are recreational. She spends about 120 days of the year at her cabin in the area and this is about the sixth time a fire has threatened her property since she has owned it.
Stage 1 Fire Restrictions are in effect for this portion of the River Breaks and for public lands in most of Idaho. The restrictions prohibit the building of any campfires outside of a permanent, designated fire structure and smoking except within an enclosed vehicle, building, or designated recreation site, or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials.
