By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- Firefighters were temporarily withdrawn from the Devil’s Elbow area and other eastern sections of the Tartar Fire in Idaho on August 4 after crews reported harassment and threats serious enough to halt suppression operations.
- The U.S. Forest Service stated that safety concerns prompted the decision to disengage crews from affected areas, which were moved to staging locations pending resolution of the situation.
- Ranchers objected to firing operations conducted along the fire’s eastern flank, accusing crews of intentionally burning unburned private grazing land, prompting incident managers to halt all firing operations.
- The Tartar Fire, which began July 24 approximately 21 miles northwest of Weiser, had burned 138,271 acres and was 41% contained as of August 4 with 562 personnel assigned.
- Command of the fire was transitioning from Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team 3 to Southwest Team 1; officials stated firefighting operations would continue during the transition.
WEISER, IDAHO — Firefighters responding to the Tartar Fire were temporarily withdrawn from portions of the eastern perimeter after confrontations involving threats and harassment forced incident management to prioritize crew safety and halt suppression activities in affected areas.
A U.S. Forest Service spokesperson told CBS2 that some threats were serious enough to require personnel removal from the area. “Some of the threats were serious enough we had to pull firefighters out of that area,” the spokesperson stated.
Crews temporarily disengaged from the Devil’s Elbow area and other locations along the fire’s eastern side. Karen Dante Wood, public information officer for the Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team, stated that confrontations were not isolated to a single location or incident. “There have been other incidents also along kind of the eastern side of the fire,” Wood said. “We had our crews disengage last night due to their safety.”
Firefighters in affected areas were moved to staging locations. Wood stated she could not immediately confirm whether personnel had returned to operations. “Their safety is our number one priority,” Wood stated.
In an August 4 fire update, the incident management team addressed the matter. “The safety of our firefighters is paramount. Last night, firefighters were pulled out of the Devil’s Elbow area and other portions along the east side of the fire as they were being harassed and threatened. Crews will disengage if such actions continue,” the update stated.
The withdrawal followed ranchers’ objections to firing operations conducted along the fire’s eastern flank. Ranchers accused crews of intentionally burning unburned private grazing land located behind firelines the ranchers had established. Incident managers subsequently announced cessation of firing operations. “We will not be carrying out any firing operations from here on out,” Wood told the Argus Observer.
Firing operations involve deliberately burning vegetation to reduce fuel available to an advancing wildfire, strengthening control lines ahead of primary fire advancement.
The Tartar Fire began July 24 approximately 21 miles northwest of Weiser, Idaho. The fire had burned 138,271 acres and was 41 percent contained as of August 4. A total of 562 personnel were assigned to the fire. Wind-driven runs, uphill runs, and short-range spotting were reported as ongoing fire behavior concerns.
Structures and communications infrastructure remained threatened by the fire. Road, land, and trail closures were in effect within the fire area.
Command responsibility was transitioning from Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team 3 to Southwest Team 1. Officials stated that firefighters and equipment would remain assigned during the transition and that suppression work would continue.