Sunset fire in Athol doubles in size and resources after day of high winds

A fire northeast of Athol doubled in size to 1,400 acres overnight, according to the Idaho Department of Lands.

The Sunset fire was reported at about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday and had destroyed three structures. Its containment level is not yet known, and its cause is under investigation.

The resources assigned to the fire have more than doubled, said fire spokesperson Kat Strother. These include helicopters, air tankers, air attack planes and scoopers, as well as the multiple crews fighting the fire on the ground. A Type 3 Incident Management team will take over Friday.

Weather conditions improved significantly on Thursday, Strother said.

“Last night there were high winds that made suppression efforts difficult,” Strother said. “Today is supposed to be a lot cooler, which is good. And the winds are going to be milder wind gusts.”

The Bonner County Sheriff’s Office issued a Level 3 “go” evacuation order for residents on Raven Road, Crosswhite Road, Little Blacktail Road and east of 2268 Sunset Road.

A Level 2 “set” evacuation order is in place for all residents on Blacktail Road ¼ mile north of Little Blacktail and a Level 1 “ready” order for all residents on Blacktail north of the “set” evacuation zone.