Sheriff calls for evacuation of 60 more homes near Robie Creek; Karney Fire escapes containment | Fire Season
A house that burned on Majesty Heights Drive just above Robie Creek Road in the Karney Fire, Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2012.
Joe Jaszewski — jjaszewski@idahostatesman.com
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By Patrick Orr
Wildland fire crews spent much of Tuesday afternoon working on the north and northeast flanks of the Karney Fire near off Robie Creek Road in Boise County to keep those flames from getting into the Wilderness Creek Subdivision.
The fire, which Boise County Sheriff’s officials say was purposefully lit by an 18-year-old volunteer firefighter near his Robie Creek home Monday, had grown to more than 300 acres by 9 p.m. Tuesday. Its containment was described as "zero percent."
Sheriff’s officials gave an voluntary evacuation notice to about 10 homeowners in the Kelly Gulch area and about 50 more along Robie Creek Road Tuesday.
Sheriff’s officials gave the first evacuation notices to owners of 20 homes near Robie Creek Road Monday afternoon.
As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, only one home had been lost to the fire but the blaze was about a quarter mile away from the upper end of homes in Wilderness Ranch.
The fire was threatening a total of 75 to 100 homes in the Wilderness Ranch subdivision area, which is northeast of Robie Creek.
A wind change around midnight could affect overnight firefighting at the Karney Fire in Boise County. Winds near Lucky Peak Reservoir were out of the west at 4 mph Tuesday afternoon, but after midnight the winds are expected to shift to the south.
"Winds accelerate after midnight," said National Weather Service meteorologist George Skari. He said there were gusts of about 20 mph after sunrise Tuesday.
Skari said there was no chance of rain until at least Sunday. High temperatures will be in the mid-80s to near 90, about 10 degrees above normal.
Boise County Sheriff's officials say Nathaniel Fay Bartholomew has admitted to starting the blaze. Bartholomew is being held at the Ada County Jail with no bond on a felony arson charge.
Sheriff's officials said Tuesday that Bartholomew is a volunteer firefighter who lives in the Robie Creek area.
Officials say it appears as if Bartholomew purposefully set the blaze in some pine cones and other fuel at the side of the Robie Creek Road and that fire spread to a nearby home, where it got under the deck and caught it on fire as is spread to other parts of the forest.
A suspected motive in the arson is unclear but Boise County Chief Deputy Dale Rogers said it is possible Bartholomew set the fire to get the attention of his father, who is also a firefighter.
The Red Cross has set up a shelter in the Idaho City High School gym for Wilderness Ranch residents who can't get to their homes.
The Idaho Humane Society in Boise is taking in animals from folks who have been displaced by the Karney Fire in Boise County. So far, just three cats have been dropped off, but shelter officials are trying to make room for others, a shelter official said.
More than 100 fire fighters worked on the blaze all day, with lots of air support — including two heavy air tankers, nine single engine tankers (SEATS), and three helicopters. The air support was concentrated on the north and northeast flanks of the fire while hand and engine crews worked on the east and south flanks of the fire.
Firefighting operations are being complicated by the drought-like late summer conditions in Idaho's forestlands.
“This fire is really showing just how dry the fuel up here is,” Boise National Forest spokesman Dave Olson said Tuesday.
The first report of the fire was called into 911 around 4:30 Monday between mile markers 5 and 6 on Robie Creek Road. By 9:20 p.m.the fire had burned about 80 acres in the Robie Creek area, including the vacant home.
Firefighters made good progress overnight but the fire jumped a portion of a fireline early Tuesday morning off the Robie Creek Road in an area called Mitchell Gulch in Boise County.
This says it was updated less than an hour ago, and if what they're saying is accurate it means we're all still under the gun. This is one time I'm *hoping* the media has it wrong. The fire (which they say is being described as '0% contained') is currently in something of a 'u' to our north, and they're saying the wind is supposed to turn south and pick up after midnight. At least in the dark it'll be easy to see comin'. :)
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