Fire destroys 10 Boise homes, damages nine more

A wildfire that started in a field of sagebrush and cheatgrass spread quickly up a ridge Monday night, destroying 10 homes and damaging another nine, the Boise fire chief said.

"It started as a brush fire ... ran up the bluffs and started going house to house with (wood) shake roofs," Fire Chief Dennis Doan told KTVB-TV. "We had multiple homes on fire when we pulled up. But it was mostly the wind. The wind was blowing so hard."

The fire was first reported at about 7 p.m. and was fueled by sustained winds of 30 mph.

Within two hours, firefighters had managed to build two containment lines and were dousing remaining flames on the exterior of homes.

"We still have an active fire, but we think we have it contained," Doan told The Idaho Statesman newspaper.

More than 50 homes were evacuated in the middle-class neighborhood on the city's southeast side. Shelters were set up in nearby schools.

Ada County paramedics reported no homeowner injuries but several firefighters suffered minor injuries. KTVB reported that seven Boise police officers were treated for smoke inhalation.

Fire officials have not yet determined the cause of the fire.

"The wind is so strong we're literally just watching houses go up in flames," resident Susan Hallamore, 42, told The Associated Press as the fire raged. "Our house went up in flames."

She said she, her husband and five children were away from the home they built about four years ago on Sweetwater Street when the fire broke out.

"First you're happy you're all safe," she said, "then you realize you don't have any pictures any more. You realize 'I'm cold and I have no clothes.' I have nothing left."

Fire officials said all available Boise firefighters and equipment were called to the smoke-covered scene. Fire crews from nearby Meridian, Kuna and North Ada County also responded.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has also sent four engines and about 20 firefighters.

With more dry weather and high winds predicted, fire officials issued a red flag warning for the region.

Idaho Power reported that more than 2,200 customers in the area and across the Treasure Valley temporarily lost power, with the majority of those in the vicinity of the fire. Spokesman Russ Jones said one transmission line lost power, possibly due to smoke.

Michael Robinson told KTVB that he and his wife and dog fled immediately after the fire crept up the ridge to their neighborhood.

"It's devastating. Apparently I just lost everything but what I've got on here," said Robinson, who didn't even bother to put on shoes before leaving his home. "The house next to me just blew up. These houses were blowing up like they were full of gas."

Robinson said city firefighters came to the neighborhood last week, urging homeowners to get rid of dry grasses and other fuels and create fire breaks around the houses. Robinson said he and others complied, but it didn't make any difference.

"The fire just jumped across the fire break," he said.

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Associated Press Writer Matt Mygatt also contributed to this story.

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Information from: KTVB-TV