Grass fire grows to 30 acres in south Boise

PHOTO: A 30-acre grass fire in south Boise has been ruled an accident. Boise Fire says the fire started as a small burn that grew out of control in the area of W. Hollilynn Drive just after 11:30 a.m. on Monday. Several crews responded including Boise Fire and even the Idaho National Guard with a water tender. “Despite the recent rainfall, we want to remind everyone that conditions in southern Idaho are still very dry and not safe for open burning,” said Boise Fire division chief Paul Roberts. “As we saw today, the sunshine and wind can quickly lead to dangerous fire conditions.” One person suffered a minor injury and no structures were threatened. Crews will remain on scene for mop-up duty.
KBOI-TV CBS 2 Boise

Idaho Falls man arrested for reportedly setting house on fire

According to an Idaho Falls Police Department news release, police responded to the home of Eli Lewis, 42, around 6 p.m. in Pinewood Estates. Police reportedly were told he was threatening to burn down the home. The house was already on fire when officers arrived. Two officers retrieved fire extinguishers from their patrol cars and approached the entrance of the house, believing Lewis may still be inside. The officers did not enter due to the flames and heavy smoke. A neighbor informed the officers that they had spoken to Lewis over the phone, and he told them he was not inside the house. The Idaho Falls Fire Department arrived on scene and doused the flames. While investigating the cause of the fire, police and firefighters found two bottles of lighter fluid, a small propane tank, a five-gallon propane tank and charcoal.
Rexburg Standard Journal

71-year-old drowns in Fremont County after drift boat hits rock

A 71-year-old woman drowned in Fremont County on Saturday after their boat hit a rock and ejected everyone aboard. The victim was Eileen Anderson of Idaho Falls. Police say the drowning happed on Henry's Fork in between Warm River and Ashton. At around 2:00 p.m. Fremont County Emergency Dispatched got a call about a possible drowning victim. Police learned a group of people was floating in a drift boat when they hit a rock, ejecting all of the occupants into the water. Responders had to scale down a rock cliff to get to the scene. Police then had to float the victim downstream to the next cabin. Life-saving measures were performed and the victim was transported by ambulance to Madison Memorial Hospital where they were pronounced dead.
KBOI-TV CBS 2 Boise

Magic Valley paramedics feeling the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

Magic Valley Paramedics have seen a massive increase in call volumes since the beginning of the pandemic. “We’ve seen like a 30-40% increase in overall volume just in the last 12 months, comparing last year to this year, which is a lot,” said James Rhom of Magic Valley Paramedics. “We’re seeing a 300% increase in our respiratory complaint volume.” Serving a population over 120,000 is already a large task for Rohm’s response team. Adding a pandemic in an area with dismal vaccination rates has forced his team to get creative. “We have a specialty team, it’s a very small specialty team, that initially was put in place to help out with making connections in the community and helping out with some of the public health support,” Rhom said. “We have changed, or adapted, that team to the COVID response.”
KMVT-TV 11 Twin Falls

Some crews pulled off Jakes Gulch fire

The Eastern Area incident management team has been pulled off the Jakes Gulch fire after a week of assisting the Sawtooth National Forest. The news came on Sunday after overnight rains and cool temperatures. The 510 acre fire is now 80% contained. According to spokesperson Micah Bell, the incident response team was brought in to assure local fire agencies had enough manpower and aerial assistance to contain the fire while preserving the recreation area surrounding Alturas lake. While the incident response team is off the fire, Bell wants to remind the public that doesn’t mean the area is safe for public access. Starting this morning, the Sawtooth National Forest team will officially regain control of the fire area and begin making decisions about how and when to reopen the area.
KMVT-TV CBS/CW+ 11 Twin Falls