Prior wildfire mitigation aids in successful firefighting on the Lil Horse Fire
The BLM Idaho Boise District Fire program has reported a second large wildfire whose spread and impacts were successfully mitigated by the Tristate Fuel Break Project.
The Lil Horse Fire was reported on July 24, 2025 in the far southwestern corner of Idaho, a remote area heavily affected by the spread of highly-flammable invasive grass species. The fire was rapidly becoming established in dry vegetation and hot, windy weather, and air attack assessed it to have high spread potential.
Within the hour, air attack reported that the head of the fire had stopped at 45 Ranch Road, approximately one mile east of the initial report. There, the fire intersected with a section of the Tristate Fuel Break Project completed in September 2024, in which 200-foot corridors on each side of 45 Ranch Road had been mowed down to six-inch vegetation. The 2024 portion of the project treated a total of 1,650 acres in the area and was funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
With the fuel break to support firefighting efforts, the Lil Horse Fire was declared 100% contained at 890 acres on July 25 at 4 p.m.
The Tristate Fuel Break Project is a collaborative effort between Nevada, Oregon, and Idaho BLM and cooperators to create, improve, and/or connect fuel breaks at a landscape scale by following existing road systems. Fuel breaks are areas where existing fuels have been removed, reduced, or replaced via mowing, discing, chemical spraying, or seeding.
“Fuel breaks don’t necessarily stop fires, but they give firefighters a spot where they can safely engage, so we can contain fires at smaller sizes,” said Lil Horse Incident Commander Nathan Hersley. “The fuel breaks helped us stop the spread of what could have been a really devastating fire. Without them, we could have lost a lot more critical sage grouse habitat.”
In July 2024, the Mary Fire was reported just east of that location, near the town of Riddle, Idaho, and was ultimately contained at 6,227 acres. Suppression efforts were aided significantly by mow lines from fuels treatments in the area and around Highway 51, earlier sections of the Tristate Fuel Break Project.
"Two wildfires in back-to-back years have already intersected with this ongoing project, and both times, having these fuel breaks in place has resulted in safer, more efficient, and more effective firefighting. It really underscores the effectiveness of the fuels work happening in the Great Basin, and the immediate need for projects like this," said BLM Idaho State Fire Management Officer Dennis Strange.
Work on the Tristate Fuel Break Project began in fiscal year 2022. Since then, nearly 6,000 acres of fuel breaks have been completed. Cooperators plan to complete the project in 2025 with work mostly focused on Mud Flat Road, moving west from Grandview, Idaho.
Explore this interactive map for more stories about the intersection of wildfires and fuels projects, as well as planned and completed fuels projects and fire history.
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