Evacuations ordered near Stanley as wildfire grows. Idaho Highway 21 closure extended

Custer County Sheriff Ethan Kelly on Friday issued evacuation orders for residents near Stanley Lake and urged others nearby, including in the town of Stanley, to be ready to leave as the dangerous Wapiti Fire grew to more than 35,000 acres.

Kelly’s office announced that residents closest to the fire should evacuate immediately. It posted on its Facebook page that these residents were in “GO STATUS,” which a separate photograph of a poster described as an indicator of “extreme danger in the area.” 

“Leave without delay,” the poster read. “It is unsafe to stay and threatens the safety of you, your family and emergency responders. Emergency responders may not be able to help you if you choose to stay.”

The orders came as the Wapiti Fire, which started in the Boise National Forest, continued to rage and spread through portions of the Sawtooths. As of Friday morning, it was only 10% contained. Idaho Highway 21 was now closed from Stanley all the way to Lowman, the Sheriff’s Office announced.

On Tuesday, the Sheriff’s Office announced the closure of the Stanley Lake recreation complex after the fire jumped the ridge of the Sawtooths and established in Elk Creek and Stanley Lake Creek drainage areas, the Idaho Statesman previously reported. 

The Wapiti Fire was sparked by a lightning strike near Grandjean in late July. It forced the closure of the historic Sawtooth Lodge, which has lost three structures and has been closed for three weeks with “no reopening day in sight,” according to a GoFundMe started for the lodge.

“The lodge and cabins are in danger but still standing,” the GoFundMe reads. “If you’ve been to Grandjean, you know what is at stake.”