VIDEO: The Bureau of Land Management conducted several controlled burns south of Boise on Tuesday as a part of their Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination Course. It is a 5-day course that gives students an opportunity to learn from seasoned fire investigators and tools for determining a fire's cause.
Investigating a fire is key in preventing a fire, explains Court Gossard, a BLM Lead Fire Investigator and Trespass Coordinator, "We're mandated to investigate all human-caused fires, in doing so that helps us drive our prevention program. If we notice that there's an uptick in a certain cause of fire, the program can address that with the public."
Across the United States, humans were responsible for 87% of wildfires in the last 10 years. In 2022, 80% of fires on BLM Boise District lands were human-caused. Vehicle and shooting-related sparks are among the most common causes.