BY KAREN BOSSICK

A fire burning near Hailey was expected to be contained by 10 p.m. Tuesday.

Firefighters were able to contain the Jolly Sailor Fire burning in Deer Creek to 80 acres.

The fire was started Monday afternoon near Jolly Sailor Gulch when a excavator doing work related to the 2013 Beaver Creek Fire hit a bucket on a rock causing a spark. By the time the operator could attack it with a shovel and fire extinguisher, the fire was moving quickly through dry grass fanned by gusty winds.

“He was out there moving rocks for a dispersed campground. And you would have thought a day with temperatures in the lower 60s and 50 percent humidity would not have been conducive to starting a fire. But that just shows how dry we are,” said Fire Information Officer Bobbi Filbert.

Fortunately, Filbert said, a quick and coordinated response from the Forest Service, BLM and local fire district engines coupled with support from heavy helicopters and three single-engine aircraft was able to contain it.

“They were able to dip out of ponds by Clarendon Hot Springs, which made for a real quick turn-around time. And water is really effective for fighting lighter fuel types like grass,” she said.

Eight engines, one helicopter and 35 firefighters worked  on the fire Tuesday. Sawtooth National Forest officials hope they can reopen the Deer Creek Road past the Forest Service boundary today.

Salmon-Challis National Forest officials, under pressure from hunters citing cooler weather, will end Stage 1 fire restrictions on Friday, Aug. 31.

But the Sawtooth National Forest will not be lifting fire restrictions for the Labor Day Weekend.

“We know we’re really dry and we have a longer fire season to come what with things drying out and heating back up this weekend,” Filbert said. “We haven’t had a season-ending event with a bunch of  snow or rain yet. So, heads up this weekend. We’re asking people to please be careful with cutting firewood, or any other activity that could start a fire.”

Here’s an update on other fires burning around the region:

• The BIBLE BACK FIRE 11 miles northeast of Smiley Creek had no new growth Monday and Tuesday, thanks to a tenth inch of rain that fell between Sunday and Monday evening. An area closure involving popular recreation places like Washington Lake remains in place.
• The STEWART CREEK FIRE 18 miles northwest of Fairfield has grown to 1,175 acres. It is 15 percent contained.

  Monday’s rain helped limit its spread, but it was not substantial enough to extinguish the fire, which is burning hot in very heavy timber with a hefty fuel load.

  In fact, cloud cover and poor visibility limited helicopter operations, which were finally able to resume Tuesday. There was a bonus for firefighters, however: A beautiful rainbow over some of the spike camps that have been set up in the backcountry.

  The 228 firefighters working the fire hope to build a fire line connecting to natural fire breaks along a ridge near Lime Creek and a ridge near Smokey Dome. Once they’ve boxed in the fire, they can begin burn operations to improve the fire line with the goal of 100 percent containment by Sept. 15.

  And—yee ha!--helicopter personnel were able to locate about 200 cows grazing in the line of fire so that a local wrangler could moo-ve them out of there.

• The WAPITI FIRE has now burned 7,787 acres near Grandjean and is pushing slowly to the north and east.

Intermittent rain fell on the fire Monday, along with some hail, dampening fuels and slowing the fire’s growth. Freezing temperatures Monday night helped prolong high humidity, further retarding the fire activity.

The fire is smoldering in the ground cover in many locations.

Great Basin Incident Management Team 3 has 175 firefighters  working the fire. They’re providing protection for homes, cabins and other structures in the area and strengthening containment on the west side.

They must contend with weakened and dead trees, as well as slippery, uneven footing in steep terrain.

The cause of the fire, reported on Aug. 25, is under investigation. Four cabins and one outbuilding have been lost. Evacuations in the vicinity remain in effect.

Campgrounds at Stanley Lake and access to Stanley Lake remain open. But access to Alpine and Sawtooth Lakes, Elk Meadow, Park Creek and Observation Peak, the Baron Lakes and the Grandjean Trailhead are closed.