Gov. Brad Little says human safety is his top priority as large wildfires continue to spread

Clark Corbin, Idaho Capital Sun

STANLEY (Idaho Capital Sun) — Idaho Gov. Brad Little said his No. 1 attraction is connected nan information of civilians and firefighters successful nan look of what he described arsenic nan highest privilege wildfire successful nan country.

The Wapiti Fire burning adjacent Stanley and Grandjean successful nan Boise and Sawtooth National Forest surpassed 89,000 acres burned connected Thursday, pinch containment still estimated astatine 0%, occurrence officials said. 

The size of nan wildfire accrued by astir 20,000 acres complete nan erstwhile 2 days. On Tuesday, nan Wapiti Fire had been listed astatine a small complete 70,000 acres.

“Stanley’s nan No. 1 occurrence successful nan federation correct now,” Little said successful an question and reply Wednesday astatine nan Idaho State Capitol successful Boise. 

“When I’m doing fire, it’s ever quality wellness and information (that are my apical priorities),” Little added. “People enactment safe. And past it’s property.”

The Wapiti Fire isn’t nan only ample wildfire successful Idaho. On Thursday, nan Boise-based National Interagency Fire Center reported location were 15 ample wildfires successful Idaho, which person burned much than 209,000 acres. 

This summer, Little participated successful aerial tours of Gwen Fire and Texas Fire that burned adjacent Lapwai and Kendrick successful July and visited nan Paddock Fire that burned adjacent Emmett, wherever Little lives and his family owns land.

On Aug. 23, Little and different authorities officials revealed a caller report outlining 10 recommendations to prioritize successful 2024 and 2025 connected really to trim nan effect of wildfires – immoderate of which would require caller legislation, according to erstwhile Idaho Capital Sun reporting.

Some recommendations include:

adopting authorities for wildfire liability standards for electrical utilitiesdeveloping a statewide mobile notification and removal plancoordinating wildfire discovery camerasexpanding Idaho’s occurrence accusation website that interacts pinch those discovery cameras

The afloat database of recommendations outlined successful nan study can beryllium recovered online.

Little told nan Idaho Capital Sun he receives wildfire briefings aggregate times a time and is monitoring nan Wapiti Fire closely.

“I look astatine that occurrence each morning,” Little said. “I look astatine each nan fires astir wherever there’s group – Stanley, Warm Lake, Horesethief. Obviously I did earlier, successful those different areas, these different fires burning, arsenic well.”

When asked by nan Sun, Little said he is reluctant to make an official, nationalist sojourn to Staney aliases nan Wapiti Fire because he doesn’t want his beingness to create a media circus, distract firefighters and emergency responders aliases get successful people’s way.

“I try, I really diligently try, not to beryllium disruptive erstwhile they’re moving connected nan fires,” Little said.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little and authorities officials clasp a property convention connected Aug. 23, 2024, to rotation retired a caller study that recommends nan 10 priorities to trim nan impacts of wildfire successful 2024 and 2025. | Courtesy Idaho Governor’s Office

So acold this year, 11 Idaho counties and nan Nez Perce Tribe person issued wildfire emergency declarations

Little issued emergency declarations for Nez Perce and Lewis counties successful relationship pinch nan Gwen and Texas fires. But he told nan Sun connected Wednesday he has not issued a circumstantial emergency declaration for Custer County regarding nan Wapiti Fire because region officials person not requested one. If region officials inquire for his help, Little said he is fresh to connection assistance.

“They haven’t formally asked,” Little said. “We are very cognizant of what’s going connected up there, but they haven’t formally asked. I deliberation what happened successful Nez Perce aliases Lewis County is they conscionable didn’t person backing for nan sheriff to do postulation power and truthful that decidedly qualifies for authorities emergency funding.”

Custer County commissioners issued a section disaster declaration Aug. 20, but person not requested to beryllium portion of nan authorities disaster declaration, said Idaho Office of Emergency Management nationalist affairs serviceman Tristan Lewis. 

So acold successful 2024, Blaine, Boise, Custer, Elmore, Gem, Latah, Lemhi, Nez Perce, Payette, Valley and Washington counties and nan Nez Perce Tribe person issued disaster declarations owed to wildfires, Lewis said. 

“Disaster declarations tin play a important domiciled successful mobilizing authorities and national resources to communities impacted by wildfires, though it is important to statement that mostly resources are ordered and provided by onshore guidance agencies specified arsenic nan Idaho Department of Lands aliases nan U.S. Forest Service,” Lewis said successful an email to nan Sun. “When fires effect communities and location are resources that cannot beryllium provided by wildland agencies, disaster declarations astatine nan local, authorities and national levels tin assistance successful opening options for nan unmet needs.”

The location of a wildfire helps find who responds to nan occurrence successful Idaho

In Idaho, nan location of a occurrence plays a domiciled successful who responds to conflict nan fire. Across Idaho, section agrarian occurrence protection agencies, section occurrence departments, nan Idaho Department of Lands and nan national authorities each play roles successful fighting fires. 

An interagency statement called nan Idaho Master Cooperative Wildland Fire Management and Stafford Act Agreement betwixt nan Idaho Department of Lands, nan Department of Interior and nan U.S. Forest Service allows those agencies to activity together, said Idaho Department of Lands Fire Bureau Chief Josh Harvey. 

“Really what it does is authorizes national agencies and states to activity together and speech funds,” Harvey said successful a telephone question and reply Thursday. “And truthful by allowing america to speech costs that really allows america to stock resources to thief each different retired pinch wildfires, sloppy of whose jurisdiction that is.”

Harvey said location are respective tiers of coordination, starting astatine nan highest level pinch nan National Wildfire Coordinating Group, going down to smaller location coordinating groups and yet dispatch zones.

“At nan dispatch level, that activity useful together wrong nan area to scheme responses, consequence areas and activity together erstwhile we person aggregate fires, for illustration analyzable fires connected landscape,” Harvey said. “They each activity together to prioritize.

“Idaho has a beautiful robust wildfire response,” Harvey added.

Still, location are challenges and resources are stretched thin, Harvey said.

“There are decidedly not nan aforesaid number of firefighting resources successful nan strategy that location utilized to be,” said Harvey, who has fought fires each crossed nan United States and up into Alaska since 1998. “That inclination is continuing to spell down. Incident guidance teams, location are little of those successful nan system, which puts much strain connected individual states to return connected ample analyzable fires connected their ain for longer periods of time.”

Although he is realistic astir nan challenges, Harvey said he is encouraged by nan slate of caller wildfire study recommendations.

“As a occurrence head responsible for protecting Idaho resources and nan public, I really admit nan effort nan politician has put into this roundtable report.”