Evacuation order lifted, West Clark Fire expected to be contained Friday

UPDATE

The West Clark Fire has been contained and the evacuation order has been lifted.

According to Kim Stouse, Pocatello Fire Department Spokesperson, the ground crews originally overestimated the amount of acres burned in the fire. A Bureau of Land Management air asset has mapped the amount of acres burned to be 231.6 in total, according to a release from PFD posted to Facebook at 8:18 p.m.

Firefighters prevented the fire from reaching any structures in the area. People living in the area of evacuation have been cleared to return to their homes.

The fire has been turned over to BLM and is expected to be contained by around 6 p.m. tomorrow. The fire was 40% contained at the time of PFD’s release.

UPDATE

According to the Pocatello Police Department, all Gate City residents living north of the switchback on North Lincoln Street in the area of the City Creek trail system need to evacuate immediately. Residents in this area should have received a reverse 911 call warning them of the evacuation order.

The fire on the west bench of Pocatello has grown to somewhere between 800 to 1,000 acres, according to an update posted to the Pocatello Fire Department Facebook page at 3:35 p.m. The fire is currently moving south and is zero percent contained.

Firefighting air assets from the Bureau of Land Management are on their way to join the fight against the fire. In addition to firefighters from the BLM and Chubbuck, Forest Service firefighters are assisting as well.

Kim Stouse, spokesperson for PFD, told EastIdahoNews.com that firefighters have spotted a few drones flying in the area of the fire.

“Whenever you have aircraft (fighting a fire), they’ll come low for a drop before they rise back up to refuel, so whenever you have drones flying low you run the chance of them getting intermixed with the engines and potentially bringing down an aircraft,” Stouse explained.

Stouse warned the public not to fly drones in the area, as the aircraft would not be able to assist in firefighting efforts.

At the time of the evacuation order, no buildings had been damaged or injuries reported.

ORIGINAL STORY

POCATELLO — A wildfire has been reported in Pocatello.

According to a city spokesperson, the fire was first reported at 12:45 p.m. on Thursday. Kim Stouse, a Pocatello Fire Department spokeswoman, said it was in the area off West Clark Street on the West Bench, nearby the Upper City Creek trailhead.

Stouse said at this point, the department doesn’t know how many acres it is, but estimates that it might be around 50 acres as of 2:40 p.m.

“It’s kind of burning up the hillside at this point, so there’s no current evacuations. Not to say that there couldn’t be, but we’re trying to work diligently to get the upper hand on it and get it contained as quickly as possible,” Stouse said.

Authorities are asking people to avoid the area to allow emergency vehicles easy access to the area of the fire.

Currently, the Chubbuck Fire Department and firefighters with the Bureau of Land Management are assisting PFD in containing the blaze.

Pocatello Police officers are on the scene and will assist in evacuations if needed.

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