STANLEY, Idaho — A fire burning about 15 miles southwest of Stanley is packing a pretty big punch this afternoon.
At nearly 6,200 acres, the Wapiti Fire may not be the largest fire to spark in Idaho this year, but it's already destroyed four cabins and an outbuilding.
A Type Two Team has arrived in Boise County and they are setting up their operations. They are set to officially take over at 6 p.m.
At last check, the fire has burned about 6,200 acres. Fire managers say the weather conditions today were pretty good.
There’s been rain throughout the day along with cooler temperatures. That weather won't put the fire out, but it is dampening conditions and preventing it from spreading too much.
It really was an ideal day for the Type Two Team to get into the area and set up for the next few days. It is expected to get a lot warmer and drier as the week goes on.
So far, four cabins and an outbuilding have burnt down near the Sawtooth Lodge in Grandjean. Fire managers tell us they believe those are mostly summer homes. Right now teams are working to protect the lodge and homes in the area.
The only major road closure is off Highway 21 heading into Grandjean where the lodge and those cabins are. Fire managers have evacuated that area and are keeping everyone but fire teams away.
"And so they are saying that road will probably be closed for up to a week, and when it is open, it will probably only be open to cabin owners and employees of the lodge so they can assess damage and recover their items and for the people that had to leave their campers and trailers up there to recover those as well," said Bob Showalter with Boise County Emergency Management.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but crews suspect it is likely human-caused.
Crews are gathering close to Grandjean where they are making their plans for the week.
Although conditions are helping today, they are preparing for what could be a difficult battle over the next several days.