Massive Idaho Wildfire Is Bigger Than Most People Realize

Fire season continues to rage in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Westerners are used to fire season, but this year’s season continues to cost lives, livestock, land, and air quality. National and regional outlets continue to cover the fires devastating Spokane, Washington.

Closer to home, there’s the Big Grass Fire that continues to burn thousands of acres. The fire has sapped the resources of local, county, state, and national firefighters. The fire is on the Oregon/Idaho border, caused by lightning, according to experts. Evacuations and near-evacuation orders continue to rattle residents of both states.

How Big is 500,000 Acres?

If math or numbers aren’t your native language, we decided to do what everyone does and ask the various search engines: how big is 513,000 acres, and what is the actual size?? Let’s begin with miles, and it’s about half the size of Rhode Island, four times the size of Boise, and 801 square miles.

Where Is the Big Grass Fire?

The fire is on the Oregon/Idaho border and is threatening to become the largest fire in Oregon’s history. The fire is 41 percent contained as over 1,000 firefighters continue to battle it. In Idaho, Owyhee County officials continue to fight and monitor the situation. They’ve issued a Level 3 go-on evacuation order. You can stay see what's happening in real time by clicking the link here.

How Did It Get This Big?

Officials believe the fire started with lightning. The historically dry conditions served as a perfect conduit for the fire to grow so large in such a short time. Dry conditions mean low humidity, excessive temperatures, and dry forests.

Authorities continue to update the public on the conditions as they continue to change. For the very latest, you can watch their YouTube channel here.

The damage from the Big Grass Fire, along with the other fires, will continue to ignite Western Lawmakers to aggressively lobby Washington, hoping to allow their states to manage their forests.

We’ll continue to monitor and update this situation as it happens.