BOISE FOOTHILLS, Idaho — As the Claremont Fire continues burning east of Boise, some residents near Robie Creek remain under evacuation orders, forced to leave their homes while firefighters work to contain the blaze.
For Christian Dahlstrom, who lives off Rocky Canyon Road, evacuating has become an unfortunate reality. He said this is the fourth time he has been forced to leave his home in the 20 years he has lived in the area.
"We were watching the fire come up the canyon there and it was just moving fast," Dahlstrom said. "So we said, yeah, let's just get out of here."
As of Wednesday evening, Dahlstrom's neighborhood remained under a Level 3 "Go Now" evacuation order.
WATCH: Residents describe the moments they decided it was time to leave
Unlike previous evacuations, Dahlstrom said this time there was little warning. He said the area went directly to a Level 3 evacuation order without first receiving Level 1 or Level 2 notices.
"Go now usually means go now," Dahlstrom said. "I don't panic. I don't rush. We knew where the fire was, so it wasn't like it was burning on our door. But we were out of the house in 30 minutes, 45 minutes."
The American Red Cross has opened an evacuation shelter at Eagle Christian Church for people displaced by the fire. The shelter provides meals, a safe place to stay, health services, emotional support and connections to community resources.
"We want them to feel warm, wanted and comforted," said Doreen with the American Red Cross. "We really want to give them comfort in any way we can, whatever they lost, whatever they need mentally or physically."
Dahlstrom said living along the wildland-urban interface means understanding wildfire is always a possibility.
"It's not really something you like to accept," he said. "It's something you know is a risk."
While he expressed appreciation for the firefighters protecting homes, Dahlstrom said he hopes communication with residents continues to improve during fast-moving incidents.
"I know they're doing their very best to stop the fire, but they're not doing a very good job at informing the public," he said.
Evacuation orders remained in effect Wednesday evening for parts of the Robie Creek area. The Red Cross said the shelter will remain open as long as it is needed.
In an update on Wed. evening, the Boise County Sheriff's Office said that fire crews made good progress on the fire and, if everything holds, are "hoping to possibly reduce evacuation levels".
Updates on evacuations will be posted to the BCSO Facebook page.
