Soda Fire

Soda Fire Slows, Cooler temperatures. Fire behavior has moderated due to cooler temperatures, decreased winds, and an inversion. Very little fire spread was observed. Firefighters were able to get containment lines around the finger north of West Rabbit Creek and around an area north of Reynolds Creek. On the north/northwest side of the fire, crews improved lines and extinguished any lingering hot spots. Very minimal fire activity was observed in this area. Crews are patrolling, securing firelines, and mopping-up edges. They will assess areas to rehabilitate fire lines. 

 Area Fire Closures: The Owyhee Co. Sherriff’s office issued road closures for all roads leading into Silver City, ID. All access points are closed to tourists and recreation vehicles, but roads remain open to residents. This closure primarily affects the Silver City, Trout Creek and Cow Creek roads. Upper Reynolds Creek Road is closed, as is the Jump Creek recreational site and all trailheads from Silver City to Jump Creek. Trail closures are in effect on the Owyhee Front Range. 

“Pretty crazy. Pretty up and down. You think you have it under control and then it blows up and goes in another direction. Kind of circles around, comes back and bites you. It was pretty intense. Richard and Connie's was pretty bad. They saved the house though, so…”. Cattle rancher Mary Blackstock survived the 72 hours of hell in the form of the wildfire that hit her and her neighbors as over 250,000 acres of high desert grazing lands in the Owyhee Mountains on the Idaho-Oregon border went up in smoke. “The flames just blew over this thing. It was blowing over the cars and that's when it caught the shed on fire too. The loader was right there and things just exploded and we had to run. One guy had to hit the ground on the driveway until the flame blew over him.”