Salmon‐Challis National Forest Wildfire Fact Sheet Media Contact: Amy Baumer (Public Affairs Officer); 208‐756‐7853 Email: [email protected] Web: https://www.fs.usda.gov/scnf/ Twitter: @salmonchallisnf Facebook: @salmonchallisnf SCARFACE FIRE UPDATE SEPTEMBER 08, 2021 The Central Idaho Dispatch Zone is at VERY HIGH Fire Danger RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 9 PM MDT WEDNESDAY FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY Date of Detection: August 7, 2021 Current Size: 4,639 acres Completion: 20% (completion speaks the percentage of objectives completed) Location: 2½ miles southeast of the Middle Fork Lodge; Middle Fork Ranger District; Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Cause: Lightning/Natural Fuels: grass, brush, snags with a heavy dead and down fuel component in the 1979 Mortar Creek Fire scar Resources on Fire: 30 Wildland Fire Module 3 The fire has progressed to the ridge west of the Middle Fork Lodge. Firefighters continue point protection actions which included burning out above the private land in the area. Today, as conditions allow, firefighters will continue burnout operations on the west side of Thomas Creek, bringing fire down to the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. South of the Middle Fork lodge, the fire has reached the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. When conditions allow, burnout operations are planned to bring the fire towards Little Creek. The fire area is very smokey, crews are being inserted when smoke conditions allow to continue additional assessments of values at risk in the area. Firefighters are using a point protection strategy for the Scarface Fire. A point protection strategy is a wildfire response strategy which protects specific assets or highly valued resources from the wildfire without directly halting the continued spread of the wildfire. Values at risk are defined as property, structures, physical improvements, natural and cultural resources, community infrastructure, and economic, environmental, and social values such as the Middle Fork River corridor. Firefighters continue to prepare the area around the values and are ready to continue to implement point protection if necessary, for those identified values. WEATHER: ...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 9 PM MDT WEDNESDAY FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...Wind gusts to 30 mph are possible this afternoon combined with low humidity will create red flag conditions this afternoon. Low humidity will continue into Thursday with gusty winds possible once again. Isolated to scattered thunderstorms are possible Friday. CLOSURES AND RESTRICTIONS: No closures are in place for the Scarface Fire. A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in place for the Scarface Fire. The only airstrip within this TFR is Thomas Creek. More information on the TRF can be found at https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_1_1968.html. Other backcountry airstrips are not within this TFR and are available for use. If you are recreating near an ongoing wildfire operation, please keep your distance ‐ do not congregate in the area and allow the firefighters to do their job safely and efficiently. The forest is asking visitors to be aware of the VERY HIGH fire danger for the Salmon‐Challis National Forest. Ensure your campfire is dead out. If it is too hot to touch, it is too hot to leave! One Less Spark Means One Less Wildfire. Nationally, there are 58 uncontained large fires being managed under a full suppression strategy and 47 large fires managed under a strategy other than full suppression. Information on wildfire smoke can be found at http://idsmoke.blogspot.com/ and https://www2.deq.idaho.gov/air/AQIPublic/Forecast and select Idaho Falls Region, Salmon is located in the dropdown menu. Visit our website at: www.fs.usda.gov/scnf/, ‘Like Us’ on Facebook @salmonchallisnf, and ‘Follow Us’ on Twitter @salmonchallisnf. #### USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. .