BOISE, Idaho — Thunderstorms in west-central Idaho have sparked dozens of new wildfires, adding to several significant blazes across the state that have forced evacuations and threatened homes.
The 50 lightning-caused blazes that erupted Thursday afternoon in southern Idaho and the Boise area are on lands managed by state and federal agencies, officials said.
An estimated 250 to 300 residents were evacuated in the Tamarack Resort area Thursday as firefighters battled the wind-fanned flames of the Hurd Fire, which more than doubled in size from 550 acres late Thursday to nearly 1,300 acres early Friday despite winds that were milder than predicted, U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Laura Pramuk said.
At least 725 firefighters were working to contain the blaze, which has scorched more than 2 square miles but has not damaged property so far.
Pramuk said lighter winds Friday should allow crews to hold the fire above housing subdivisions.
"The evacuation order is still in effect because there is still danger," Pramuk told The Associated Press. "There is the chance that the winds could pick up."
The Valley County sheriff was coordinating with federal fire officials to determine when residents could go back to their homes.
The Long Butte Fire that has burned 306,000 acres, or nearly 480 square miles, in the southern Idaho desert was 70 percent contained.
In central Idaho, firefighters were battling the Banner Fire, which has burned more than 2,300 acres.
Firefighters also responded to a wildfire at the Wilderness Ranch subdivision, where about 30 structures and homes were threatened late Thursday.
The fire was contained and residents allowed back into their homes at about 8 p.m., said Dalia Griffith, a freelance writer who has lived in the subdivision for seven years.
The 100-acre fire blackened a hillside but didn't appear to damage any residences, Griffith said.
"Fortunately by a stroke of luck, the lightning struck a pretty big hillside rather than a home," she said.