A tanker helicopter drops water as a firefighter works to douse a hot spot at the Beaver Creek wildfire outside Hailey, Idaho, yesterday. Photo: ReutersA fast-moving central Idaho wildfire forced the evacuation of 2,250 homes near the tourist towns of Hailey and Ketchum as firefighters lost ground on Saturday against the blaze that also threatens the Sun Valley ski resort.
Yesterday Blaine County Sheriff Gene Ramsey called for occupants on the outskirts of both towns to leave without delay. He expanded evacuation zones to include residential developments north of Ketchum.
The fast-moving wildfire has burned more than 37,230 hectares of sagebrush flats, pine forests and granite canyons in the Sawtooth Range west of a highway that connects Hailey, a town of about 8,000 people, to Ketchum and Sun Valley to the north.
More than 1,000 people have fled upscale subdivisions on the southern outskirts of Ketchum, where some homes are worth tens of millions of dollars. The area features the vacation getaways of such celebrities as former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and actor Tom Hanks.
The blaze has sent towering columns of smoke over the tourist towns nestled in a narrow mountain valley known for premier hiking, biking, fishing and skiing. Hundreds of firefighters were battling to keep flames from crossing to the east side of the highway that links the three towns and is the only developed road out of the valley.
The so-called Beaver Creek fire has claimed one primary residence, one bunkhouse and six other buildings since being sparked by lightning on August 7, federal fire information officer Sandy Miller said.