FORT HALL – The Two and a Half Fire continued to spread through the night and burned approximately 7,500 acres.
Traffic on Interstate 15, between the 2 1/2 Mile Overpass and the Fort Hall exit, may “be affected by suppression efforts resulting in full or partial closure of the freeway,” according to a BLM Fire press release.
An evacuation order was given Thursday afternoon. Evacuees are staying at the Shoshone-Bannock Casino Hotel and Pocatello, Shoshone-Bannock Tribes spokeswoman Randy’L Teton told EastIdahoNews.com.
RELATED | Evacuation order issued for residents near Fort Hall fire
The fire is 0% contained, said BLM Fire spokesman Chris Burger, who told EastIdahoNews.com that wind caused the fire to shift drastically overnight. There is no estimated timeline for containment and control, according to the press release.
Structures in the 2 1/2 Mile Road and East Ross Fork area were under threat as of Thursday. Burger said none of these structures sustained any fire damage.
2 1/2 Mile Road and Ross Fork Road are closed to traffic.
An air quality warning and a total ban on all open burning has been put in place by the Environmental Protection Agency, according to a statement posted on Facebook.
A weather model created by the National Weather Service’s Pocatello office predicts the smoke will create poor air quality and affect visibility in eastern Idaho overnight.
Fort Hall Fire Department, BLM, United States Forest Service, Wildland Bureau of Indian Affairs, and North Bannock County Fire Department have crews working on the fire.
EastIdahoNews.com expects more details on the Two and a Half Fire early this afternoon and will provide them as they become available.
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