OAKLEY, Idaho — A wildfire burning in the Sawtooth National Forest just east of Oakley has forced evacuations and put neighbors on high alert as smoke thickens across the Oakley Basin.
The Summit Creek Fire sparked around 2 p.m. Monday and has grown to more than 1,200 acres by noon Tuesday. Officials say wind is playing a major factor in its rapid spread.
WATCH: The Summit Creek Fire has burned 1,200+ acres in Sawtooth National Forest near Oakley, forcing trailhead evacuations.
Vickie Smith, who has lived with her family tucked against the mountains in the Oakley Basin for 50 years, said the fire was unlike anything she had seen before.
"We could see it coming over the ridge. The flames were huge! Huge orange flames," said Smith.
Smith added that the situation quickly became frightening: "It was scary. We've been here for 50 years, and you know, it could be gone."
Neighbors initially believed the fire would be contained quickly, but fire crews across the West are spread thin. Smith described watching a single plume of smoke and waiting for a response that was slow to arrive.
"We just saw this plume of smoke and thought that maybe that would be something that would be taken care of, and there would be a helicopter coming. There was no helicopter. They said— people came by and said the helicopter was in southern Utah, five hours away."
By 7 p.m. Monday, the Smiths were already packing up their belongings.
"We started packing up the RV with stuff that we want, and then they came by and said, 'you got about a half hour.' We're loading up stuff— we've never had to move out before— there has been fires, but we've never had to move before."
The family spent the night in their RV in a local church parking lot. By Tuesday morning, helicopters were working the fire directly above Smith's home as she loaded up more personal possessions.
"They have been going for the last couple of hours— three hours or whatever— and they have different kinds of buckets on them, and when you're in my house, it sounds like a booming sound because it's right there," stated Smith.
Fire crews are working to keep the fire east and south of the Oakley Basin, north of Castle Rock, and west of Mount Independence. The area is mostly remote.
Officials are asking the public to avoid the area. Any evacuation orders will come from the Cassia County Sheriff's Office.
WATCH: Understanding emergency evacuation orders
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