Wildfire burns east of Boise near Arrowrock Dam; jet, helicopter assist firefighting effort

A 300-acre wildfire is burning on a ridge north of Arrowrock Dam, east of Boise, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

The Deer Fire, as it’s been named, is situated north of the dam in Boise County near Deer Creek and Macks Creek, and is burning sagebrush and grass, according to Venetia Gempler, a spokesperson for the Forest Service.

According to the Boise County Sheriff’s Office, the fire is a few miles east of Robie Creek and is moving north.

“Multiple agencies are on scene and working on the fire at this time,” a Facebook post from the Boise County Sheriff’s Office read. “There is a large jet and a helicopter being used along with other heavy equipment to combat this fire.”

No “residential structures” are currently threatened, according to the sheriff’s office.

The Forest Service is the lead agency responding, according to Gempler. But the Bureau of Land Management sent two fire engines, a bulldozer and a water tender to the site late Wednesday afternoon, according to Jared Jablonski, a fire information officer with the BLM. He said the fire was first reported just before 3 p.m. Wednesday.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, Gempler said.