Badger Fire 96% Contained, Plans for Restoration Work Begin
TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KLIX)-As the Badger Fire is nearing 100 percent containment repair crews continue to work in burned out areas in the South Hills and plan for rehabilitation in the future.
According to the U.S. Forest Service, the Badger Fire has burned an estimated 90,143 acres on the Sawtooth National Forest and Bureau of Land Management lands and as of Wednesday October 7, is 96 percent contained. A Forest Service Burn Area Emergency Response Team (BEAR) along with a Bureau of Land Management Emergency Stabilization and Restoration (ESR) team are conducting assessments on the burn area that stretch from the high hills around Magic Mountain to the lower foot hills near Rock Creek. The teams will develop a plan to stabilize and rehabilitate the areas charred by the September 12, fire that began near Badger Mountain, but a cause so far is not known.
Currently fire crews are keeping an eye on containment lines and mopping up hot spots. Repair groups have worked on area roads, trails, dozer lines, removing hazard trees within the fire area. A closure remain in effect for the eastern part of the Cassia Division of the Forest, which has impacted many hunts. An incoming storm this weekend is expected to bring temperatures down and drop some rain in the area, but could also produce strong winds.