A year after the largest fire in its history, Idaho National Laboratory is emphasizing fire prevention as it heads into the summer.
Last year’s Sheep Fire was the largest wildfire in recorded history for the area surrounding the lab, burning 112,000 acres over more than a week. An after-action review of the fire response by the Bureau of Land Management and other agencies highlighted the successes of the fire response, which led to no fatalities and minimal damage to lab property or utilities.
INL Fire Chief Eric Gosswiller said Thursday that the Sheep Fire “bore the brunt” of what was otherwise a less intense fire season last year. A higher-risk summer for fires and the continued spread of the coronavirus mean that this year Gossweiler and his firefighters have an increased focus on preventing fires from starting.