WEISER, Idaho — Firefighters were pulled from portions of the Tartar Fire after threats and harassment forced crews to halt suppression work, the U.S. Forest Service told CBS2.
A U.S. Forest Service spokesperson told CBS2 that some of the threats were serious enough to stop operations.
“Some of the threats were serious enough we had to pull firefighters out of that area,” the spokesperson said.
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Crews temporarily withdrew from the Devil’s Elbow area and other locations along the fire’s eastern side. Karen Dante Wood, a public information officer for the Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team, told the Argus Observer that the confrontations were not limited to one incident or location.
“There have been other incidents also along kind of the eastern side of the fire,” Wood said. “We had our crews disengage last night due to their safety.”
Firefighters in the affected areas were moved to staging locations, Wood said. She could not immediately confirm whether they had returned.
“Their safety is our number one priority,” Wood said.
CBS2 reported that the incident management team addressed the allegations in an Aug. 4 fire update.
“The safety of our firefighters is paramount. Last night, firefighters were pulled out of the Devil’s Elbow area and other portions along the east side of the fire as they were being harassed and threatened. Crews will disengage if such actions continue,” the update stated, according to CBS2.
In a separate report, the Argus Observer noted that an Aug. 4 fire update from the Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team that contained allegations of harassment and threats was no longer available on the team’s Facebook page. The Argus Observer also reported that a statement containing those allegations had been removed from the Tartar Fire’s Watch Duty incident page. It was unclear why the statements were removed.
Incident managers halt firing operations
The reports came as some ranchers objected to firing operations conducted along the fire’s eastern flank. Ranchers accused crews of intentionally burning unburned private grazing land behind firelines the ranchers had established, according to the Argus Observer.
Incident managers subsequently announced that no additional firing operations would be conducted.
“We will not be carrying out any firing operations from here on out,” Wood told the Argus Observer.
Wood did not say whether the decision resulted from the ranchers’ complaints and did not address the specifics of their allegations.
Firing operations involve intentionally burning vegetation to reduce the fuel available to an advancing wildfire. Firefighters can use drip torches, aircraft or drones to conduct the operations ahead of the main fire and strengthen control lines.
CBS2 reported that concerns about similar tactics had also led to confrontations on the Fox Fire on the Oregon side of the border. The report did not provide details about those incidents.
Command transitions to new incident team
The Tartar Fire began July 24 about 21 miles northwest of Weiser. The fire had burned 138,271 acres and was 41% contained as of Aug. 4, according to the National Interagency Coordination Center. A total of 562 personnel were assigned.
Command of the fire was transitioning from Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team 3 to Southwest Team 1. Officials said firefighters and equipment would remain assigned and suppression work would continue during the transfer.
The fire remained active, with wind-driven runs, uphill runs and short-range spotting reported. Structures and communications infrastructure remained threatened, and road, land and trail closures were in effect, the Argus Observer reported.
