As Idaho heads deeper into fire season, officials say the threat is far from over — and with some of the driest weeks of the year still ahead, much of the state remains under extreme fire danger.
But that rating is based on far more than just hot weather.
WATCH | Learn more about fire danger ratings
“There’s actually a lot of data and science that goes into the rating system and what causes us to go from one level of fire danger to the next level of fire danger,” said Bryan Durkin with the Idaho Department of Lands.
At the Idaho Department of Lands, crews constantly monitor changing conditions across the state. Durkin says data is collected daily and weekly from remote weather stations and from fuels technicians working in the field.
“Information is collected on a weekly and daily basis from both remote weather stations and by individuals; we call them fuels technicians,” Durkin said. “They measure things like fuel moisture and whatnot, and that data is fed into the system and that’s what actually causes us to move from one fire danger level to the next.”
Officials track several key factors, including temperature, wind speed, relative humidity and how dry vegetation has become.
Agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service and the Idaho Department of Lands combine that information with historical data to determine fire danger ratings on a scale from low to extreme.
Those ratings help firefighters and the public understand how likely a fire is to start, how fast it could spread and how difficult it may be to contain.
RELATED | 'We need to be ready to respond'; Here's how Bogus Basin is prepared for wildfires
With conditions remaining dangerous across much of Idaho, officials are urging people to be cautious outdoors and take fire restrictions seriously.
“Please pay attention to it, please do your part,” Durkin said. “You never know if it’s that one abandoned campfire that’s going to start the next 100-thousand-acre fire and potentially cause people to lose homes and properties.”
RELATED | Idaho homeowners turn to home fire retardant kits to protect their properties from wildfires
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
