GRANDJEAN, Idaho — The Wapiti Fire started because of lightning on July 24 and the entire Grandjean area has been closed to the public until it re-opened last week.
The Wapiti Fire started on a ridge despite protections in place in the valley. The wind carried the fire through Grandjean and over the ridge. This wildfire spread so quickly that firefighters were fighting it on multiple fronts as it burned more than 125,000 acres.
The fire burned cabins in the summer home area. We ran into workers with the Sawtooth Lodge who told us they lost some structures, but none of their historic buildings burned up including the lodge.
However, they told us they have their work cut out for them as the fire damaged all of their main infrastructure from the water pipers, to power and other equipment. The Sawtooth Lodge also missed out on the busy tourism season, …