Pre-Evacuation Orders Near Hailey and Ketchum

Blaine County, Idaho ( KMVT-TV / KTWT-TV ) - At 12:50 pm this afternoon a pre-evacuation order was issued for residents of Deer Creek drainage, west of the Big Wood River. The sheriff’s office said this is a time to remain calm, but be prepared for a mandatory evacuation on short notice. A mandatory evacuation is totally dependent on fire behavior. The pre-evacuation order was based on the fact that the Beaver Creek Fire has moved to the east.

KETCHUM, Idaho (KTVB)- The Beaver Creek Fire, burning near the Wood River Valley is approaching homes near Hailey and Ketchum. As of Tuesday night, the fire is estimated to be around 40,000 acres. People in Ketchum say they are "gun shy" after the Castlerock Fire in 2007, but Ketchum's mayor says the key this time, and what they learned from that fire, is to keep sharing the latest information with the people of the Wood River Valley.

A Type-1 Incident Management team took over the Beaver Creek Fire on Monday morning, and on Tuesday they were still working to get their fire camp set up. On Tuesday evening, the Incident Commander, Beth Lund, addressed the public in a set of two meetings. Ketchum City Hall was so packed, the meeting was standing room only, and they had to have two meetings to make room for everyone.

Lund talked about the growth they've seen on this fire, it's moving an average of 4 miles a day and is about 4 miles from the nearest structures. The areas that they are most concerned about right now are the Deer Creek, Green Horn and Warm Springs Drainages, but the biggest issue right now is getting enough crews. On Tuesday, they had about 340 firefighters, and they are hoping to get four more hot shot crews Wednesday.

Fire managers say they really need crews on the ground because of the rugged territory they are working in, and they expect the weather to get worse over the next several days, with more winds and haze. Blaine County Sheriff Gene Ramsey was also at the meeting, and he urged folks to sign up for overbridge at the Blaine County Sheriff's Office website, where they will be alerted if their area is at risk for an evacuation.