Community, Fire, and Enforcement

On June 3, 2025 at approximately 2 p.m., a member of the Salmon, Idaho community reported smoke in the West Fork of Wimpey Creek on Bureau of Land Management managed lands. Central Idaho Dispatch received the call and promptly mobilized firefighting forces. A US Wildland Fire Service fire engine responded, heading up the steep, rocky road toward the location of the smoke report. A United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USDA FS) helicopter launched to assist and located the smoke high on the ridgeline in topography difficult to navigate by ground crews.

With the helicopter holding a hover, four heli-rappellers descended by rope to the scene of the fire and were joined by other US Wildland Fire personnel. The firefighters sized up the fire at approximately one-quarter acre, 30% active, and creeping on a 20-40% slope in timber, grass, and dead/downed timber with 3-5 mph south-southwest winds.

Firefighters dug hand line around the perimeter of the fire successfully halting forward progress. Seven hours after being reported, the Wimpey Fire was officially considered controlled at 9 p.m. on June 3, 2025.

Since no lighting had occurred in the area for 24 hours, Central Idaho Dispatch requested a fire investigator to search for a cause. A BLM fire investigator, who is also a BLM Ranger, arrived on scene at approximately 7:30 p.m. to gather information and document initial observations of the fire directly from the firefighters. The investigator located evidence showing the fire burned uphill and identified the origin on the downslope perimeter. At the origin, remnants of a campfire were discovered, indicating it caused the fire.

The investigator learned from a BLM Ranger that individuals cutting firewood had been in the area leading up to the start of the fire on June 3. The Ranger had received a citizen report expressing concern that wood cutters were in the area working through the night. The Ranger had previously contacted some wood cutters, advising them to pick up litter and validate wood tags. Since there was sign of wood cutting near the origin of the fire, this prior information provided a useful direction for the investigation.

The BLM fire investigator and USDA FS Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) interviewed the wood cutters and suspected they were responsible for the fire. The officers gathered additional information, including that the responsible party started fires in the West Fork of Wimpey Creek to clean up their slash. They admitted to covering the fires with dirt and rocks, but did not carry water to douse them.

The BLM Ranger issued a Federal Violation Notice to the individual responsible for causing the fire. The USDA FS LEO informed the responsible party that per fuelwood permit stipulations, slash may be scattered and does not need to be piled, and it is not safe to burn.

As we look back on the June 2025 Wimpey Fire, the takeaway is that the BLM does our best work with coordinated effort and all hands on deck. In this case, that effort started with community members who saw something that wasn’t right and appropriately reported it. Through diligent work by local fire and law enforcement staff, the Wimpey Fire was controlled at just one-quarter acre. The party responsible accounted for their actions that led to this human caused fire and was provided with information on to prevent future human-caused fires.

As we look forward to 2026 and beyond, fire and law enforcement staff thank our community for reporting concerns. We encourage our community to keep the information coming. We thank our communities for valuing and caring about our local resources by spending time with your friends and family on public lands. As you head out this summer, please remain diligent in your actions observations and be assured, if you make a call, it will be answered.   

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