The Maze Wildfire near Rexburg burned over 1,500 acres of land, which cost around $550,000 to fully contain it.
The summer heat wave, paired with the fact that Southeast Idaho experienced an unusually warm winter, have both played a major part in wildfires becoming more and more common throughout the region.
“We just didn’t get the snowpack and everything seems to be warming up and drying out earlier,” says Shane Grow, interim chief of the Pocatello Fire Department. “Kind of an odd season. It’s been a drought in several areas for several years now, so moisture is really low. It just makes [for] more scary fire conditions [and] rapidly moving fires. It’s concerning for us.”
That’s Shane Grow, interim chief of the Pocatello Fire Department.
Idaho isn’t the only state in the area dealing with wildfires. Grow says the Cottonwood Fire, which began at the end of June in Utah, forced Utah to evacuate multiple cities and apply a fireworks ban throughout the whole state in preparation for the 4th of July.
According to reports from the National Interagency Fire Center, there are 41 helicopters and nearly 5,000 personnel engaged in fighting wildfires in the Rocky Mountain area as of July 12. There isn’t an area in the nation with more people fighting fires than the Rocky Mountain area.
Over 39,000 fires have burned over 3.5 million acres nationwide this year. Both of those numbers are already more than 125% higher than the national 10-year average, and there are still five months to go in 2026.
While the causes of many wildfires are unknown, such as the Maze and Cottonwood fires, Corey Child, fire chief with the Madison Fire Department, shares one major piece of advice on how people can help prevent more wildfires from happening.
“Understand the power of the match,” Child said. “When you’re going to ignite something, understand what consequences you may or may not having by lighting that match. Use common sense. It is dry out there. Use caution with ignition sources.”
Chief Grow also tells people to clear junipers and other trees and brush away from their homes to save them from stray embers, and to consider installing fire-resistant siding.