Posted in Idaho Nature September 06, 2017 by

Massive Wildfires Are Raging Through Idaho And It’s Truly Heartbreaking

While parts of the country are dealing with the devastation of flooding and anticipated hurricanes, Idaho is facing another brutal natural disaster: wildfires. Dry weather paired with lighting has been accountable for most of these fires, yet humans have also accounted for a significant number of fire-related damage. Here’s more on the devastating fires currently plaguing Idaho:

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Though the end of the summer season is drawing near, wildfires are still burning in California, Oregon, Montana and Idaho.
Disaster Response
Above is a map displaying current U.S. Wildfire Activity, courtesy of Disaster Response.
Idaho is experiencing a below-average year for wildfires, yet there's something more troubling about the nature of this season's fire patterns: nearly 50% have been caused by humans.
Jason Hunter/flickr
Major causes are weather, fireworks, and vehicle fires. There's also another threat that comes with harvest season: machine-related fires. When harvesting machines aren't maintained, the collection of brush underneath can get overheated to the point of igniting flames.
Additionally, the area burned by each wildfire has been greater than past seasons. This year alone, 129,000 acres have been burned.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services/flickr
Areas currently affected by wildfires include Harvard, Payette Wilderness, Matteson Ridge, Rattlesnake Point, Moose Creek and others.
Jeremy Michael/flickr
For a comprehensive list of the fires currently burning in Idaho, click here.

For an overview of Idaho’s wildfire season, be sure to watch this informative video courtesy of KPVI:

Our thoughts and prayers go out to anyone currently affected by these devastating fires in Idaho. We are also grateful to the officials and firefighters working diligently to control the damage.