The following is the fire situation report for Thursday, July 16, 2026.

NATIONAL STATUS

National Preparedness Level: 4
Initial attack activity: Light (158 new fires)
New large incidents: 6 | Large fires contained: 3 | Uncontained large fires: 49
14 Complex IMTs and 1 NIMO committed nationally
Four MAFFS C-130 airtankers deployed in support of national operations (Klamath Falls OR x2, San Bernardino CA, Santa Maria CA)
YTD national: 39,764 fires / 3,674,911 acres — 129% of the 10-year average for fires and 131% for acres

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NORTHERN ROCKIES GACC (NRCC) — Preparedness Level 2

WEATHER — NORTHERN IDAHO:
Isolated thunderstorms remain possible daily through Friday, with lightning the primary threat; gusty outflows and small hail are also possible with stronger cells. The upper-level ridge holds temperatures well above normal, and a warming and drying trend into the weekend will allow fire activity to increase with sun exposure. Fuels — especially heavy dead-and-down components — remain dry and receptive.

UPPER SMITH (ID-IPF-000347)

• Location: 6 miles west of Porthill, Boundary County
• Unit: ID-IPF (Idaho Panhandle NF)
• Start: 07/08/2026
• Cause: Lightning
• Acreage: 450 acres (no change)
• Containment: 0%
• Complexity: Type 3; NR CIMT (Team 1) in-briefs today, 7/16
• IC: Mitchell Prophet / Ryan Wagner, ICT3(t)
• Strategy: Full suppression
• Fire Behavior: Moderate — single-tree torching, flanking, wind-driven runs. Behavior moderated overnight but increased with daytime heating and lower RH; sporadic gusty winds produced short but strong sideslope runs. Fire continues flanking east downslope.
• Fuels: Timber (litter and understory) — very heavy dead-and-down on a north aspect beneath a dense canopy.
• Damage/Threat Assessment: 9 primary residences, the Smith Creek Upper and Lower hydroelectric facilities, and 8 additional structures threatened — all prepped with water systems in place. Private industrial timberland to the west at risk. Smith Creek Road and a portion of the Long Mountain Trail under closure order. (Per 7/14–7/15 209 — window expired.)
• Projected Activity (per 7/14–7/15 209 — projection windows expired):
  – 12 hrs: Chance of overnight lightning with improved humidity recovery; showers and cloud cover reducing behavior in many areas.
  – 24 hrs: Lightning and thunderstorms possible with gusty winds and potential hail.
  – 48/72 hrs: Warming trend returning into the weekend; activity increases with sun exposure, terrain-driven where fuels are receptive.
• Resources on scene: 161 personnel (+21) — 4 crews, 5 engines
• Resources needed: Safety Officer (immediate); Type 1 helicopter and 1 IHC or other Type 1 handcrew at 24–72+ hours
• Cost to date: $2,711,451
• Projected final size: Not reported
• Est. containment: 10/31/2026

GREER (ID-CTS-000254)

• Location: 8 miles east of Orofino, Clearwater County
• Unit: ID-CTS (Clearwater-Potlatch Timber Protective Association / IDL)
• Start: 07/10/2026
• Cause: Undetermined
• Acreage: 338 acres (no change)
• Containment: 72%
• Complexity: Type 3
• IC: Nate Rogers
• Strategy: Full suppression
• Fire Behavior: Minimal — smoldering; stump holes and heavy fuels within the interior.
• Fuels: Timber (litter/understory) and short grass — timbered drainages with agricultural fields and timber stringers on the plateaus.
• Damage/Threat Assessment: 3 structures lost to date (2 single residences, 1 minor structure). Fire is in the WUI within the community of Greer; firelines are in extremely steep, unstable terrain. 25 civilians evacuated and 7 responder injuries to date (cumulative).
• Projected Activity (per 7/14–7/15 209 — projection windows expired): Low overall. Thunderstorm with gusty winds forecast in the 24-hr window; hot and dry but more stable beyond 48 hrs.
• Resources on scene: 133 personnel (-8) — 3 crews, 9 engines. 1 Type 1 REMS unit, Type 2 ambulance, and multiple line-qualified medics engaged due to terrain and safety exposure.
• Resources needed: Continuation of existing resources; demob planning begins ~48 hrs with transition back to the district after 72 hrs.
• Cost/projected final: $1,625,658 / $2,500,000
• Projected final size: 338 acres
• Est. containment: 07/18/2026

NRCC SUMMARY:

Preparedness Level 2 — 3 active incidents / 1,592 acres — 298 personnel (-42), 7 crews, 15 engines, 0 helicopters
Yesterday: 1 new fire / 0 acres
YTD: 952 fires / 31,006 acres

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GREAT BASIN GACC (GBCC) — Preparedness Level 4

WEATHER — SOUTHERN IDAHO:
A Red Flag Warning is in effect from noon to 9:00 PM MDT today for portions of southwest Idaho (Treasure Valley BLM, Owyhee Mountains, western Twin Falls BLM, Southern Highlands): scattered thunderstorms capable of abundant lightning and erratic outflow gusts of 45–60 mph. A Heat Advisory is also in effect noon–9:00 PM for the Treasure Valley and Upper Weiser River Valley, with Boise expected near 103 — the hottest day of the week. Red flag conditions for lightning also extend across central and eastern Idaho zones, with a Fire Weather Watch into Saturday as a Pacific trough brings 20–40% thunderstorm coverage; initial storms may be dry with strong outflows before trending wetter. Mixed wet/dry thunderstorms continue through Saturday basin-wide; hotter, drier air is building into the western basin with afternoon RH in the teens, falling toward single digits. Lightning IA risk continues, though higher humidity and precipitation should moderate large-fire potential.

CLAREMONT (ID-1AX-000618)

• Location: 1 mile northeast of Boise, Ada County
• Unit: ID-1AX (Ada County)
• Start: 07/06/2026
• Cause: Human
• Acreage: 6,815 acres (+1)
• Containment: 70% (up from 65)
• Complexity: Type 1; EA CIMT 1 (Gabliks)
• IC: M. Gabliks / C. Woods / J. Alyea (t), USFS
• Strategy: Full suppression — shifted to indirect lines east/northeast along ridgelines outside the UXO exclusion zone
• Fire Behavior: Minimal — creeping. Hot spots holding in dead logs within the "no-go" UXO area; most activity in the northeast corner near Boise Ridge Road, confined to interior pockets and islands. Fire remained within established containment features through yesterday's period.
• Fuels: Short grass, brush, and ponderosa regeneration in the 1996 Eighth Street Fire scar; dead-and-down component holding heat and providing pathways.
• Damage/Threat Assessment: 250 primary residences and 250 other minor structures threatened (per 7/14–7/15 209 — window expired); 2 minor structures destroyed. The Army Corps of Engineers has extended the UXO standoff distance to 1,800 feet, adding roughly 4,700 acres where ground resources cannot directly engage. Robie Creek (~650 structures, 250+ primary residences), Wilderness Ranch (~450 structures), and Canyon Creek Ranch (206 structures) at risk in escalation scenarios; main power transmission lines and the Ridges to Rivers trail system in the area. Evacuation planning active. BLM has rescinded some closure orders, tightening to more manageable footprints along Eighth Street and Rocky Canyon.
• Projected Activity (per 7/14–7/15 209 — projection windows expired): Continued backing/creeping with potential short upslope pushes toward Boise Ridge Road; holdover spots may "waken" with high temps and outflow winds; spotting risk grows with the increasing fire weather, with potential single-tree torching of dead spruce/fir.
• Resources on scene: 462 personnel (+12) — 7 crews, 28 engines, 3 helicopters
• Resources needed: 1 RADO, 1 SEC1, 1 SEC2 (security to maintain hard closures)
• Cost/projected final: $8,575,000 / $12,000,000
• Projected final size: 7,000 acres
• Est. containment: 08/01/2026
• Community: open house tonight at 1800 with the Robie Creek and Wilderness Creek communities; long-term stabilization/mudslide discussions ongoing with the City of Boise on the southern end.

New Idaho large fire: AMYX (ID-BOD) — 400 acres, 100% contained; carried as a new large incident in this morning's national report with no further growth expected.

OTHER GBCC FIRES OF NOTE (resource competition context):

• Stookey (UT-WDD) — 7 mi W of Vernon, UT. 10,330 acres per this morning's IC call (10,275 in the national report; +2,261 for the period), 5% contained, 342 personnel. Full suppression with night operations through the weekend; expects resources fully around the fire by end of today. Critical needs: RAMS and an ordering manager. Rush Valley communities, SR-199/SR-36, Vernon, powerline infrastructure, and sage grouse habitat at risk; one evacuation zone in Ready status. Projected final 12,000 acres; est. containment 7/23.
• Babylon (UT-MLF) — 25 mi SW of Monticello, UT. 107,104 acres (+494), 57% contained and gaining 2–3% per day, 1,255 personnel (-100). Needs one Type 2 IA crew and one RIMS. Significant demobilization of timing-out resources begins in the coming days; resources with time remaining will be shopped for reassignment. Evacuations at Ready. Cost $42.1M; est. containment 8/1.
• Cottonwood (UT-FIF) — 5 mi E of Beaver, UT. 97,458 acres, 80% contained, 758 personnel (-41); 185 structures lost. Primary concern has shifted to flash flooding, with a flash flood warning expected over the fire area today; night shift has ended and the organization is transitioning to a local Type 3. Cost $55.1M; est. containment 7/24.
• Buck Basin (UT-UWF) — 10 mi E of Heber City, UT. 145 acres (-89 after more accurate drone mapping), 29% contained, 154 personnel. Heavy snags limiting safe edge work; communication infrastructure threatened. Est. containment 7/20.
• 18 Mile (NV-EKD) — 21 mi N of Montello, NV. 1,326 acres, 50% contained, 172 personnel; minimal behavior; energy infrastructure threatened. Est. containment 7/17.
• Winding down and releasing resources: Snyder (30,202 ac, 98%), Grapevine (26,464 ac, 99%), Wild Goose (12,665 ac, 98%), Parsnip Peak (2,264 ac, 99%).

GBCC SUMMARY:

Preparedness Level 4 — 17 active incidents / 320,087 acres — 3,582 personnel (-188), 78 crews, 162 engines, 42 helicopters
Yesterday: 17 new fires / 1,008 acres
Resource availability remains tight but improved slightly from yesterday: 1 CIMT now available basin-wide; 6 of 7 LATs available; 22 of 23 Type 1 helicopters committed (1 available); 17 of 19 Type 1 crews and 17 of 18 Type 2 IA agency crews committed; all 30 Type 2 contract crews and 11 camp crews committed. GBCC is directing incidents to coordinate tentative demob plans with dispatch to keep resources with time remaining inside the basin as competition with other geographic areas increases.
YTD: 1,121 fires / 492,458 acres

Terry

Terry D. Gammel

Fire Emergency Support / ESF-4 P.M.

Idaho Department of Lands 

300 N. 6^th Street 

Boise, Idaho 83702

Office: (208) 334 - 0265

Cell: (208) 841 - 9807 

Email:  terry.gammel@idl.idaho.gov

https://www.idl.idaho.gov