Crews struggling with Idaho wildfire

BOISE – Firefighters gained ground on a number of wildfires across the West but struggled in Southern Idaho, where winds fanned a fast-moving blaze across nearly 300 square miles of sagebrush and dry grass, authorities said Monday.

More firefighters were headed to the Idaho wildfire that was sparked by a Saturday lightning storm and had spread to 190,000 acres. The fire had been threatening six homes west of Twin Falls early Monday but was no longer considered a threat by the afternoon.

Firefighters made progress in California, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado and Montana, where the country’s biggest wildfire is burning, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The 250,000-acre Ash Creek fire in southeastern Montana was 90 percent contained and expected to be fully contained later Monday.

Also burning in southeastern Montana was the Taylor Creek fire, which has charred more than 62,000 acres about 12 miles southeast of Fort Howes. That fire was 65 percent contained.

In Northern California, a wildfire burning near a main highway in the eastern Sierra Nevada was more than 85 percent contained.

The 1,103-acre blaze was spotted Saturday and briefly threatened about 300 homes but had no active flames early Monday. In Utah, the 108,000-acre Clay Springs fire was 91 percent contained, officials said.

In Colorado, wet conditions made Gov. John Hickenlooper confident enough to lift a fire ban he ordered last month.

The rain, however, brought its own problems. One of the main highways to Leadville was closed after the road washed out following heavy rains that also caused a mudslide in northern Colorado. One lane was reopened by Monday afternoon.

Meanwhile, a highway near the High Park burn area has reopened after the third mudslide in as many days.