VIDEO: There Are Some Thirsty Birds at Murtaugh Lake

As evacuees returned to their homes after being away roughly 48 hours, they didn’t find much had changed.  Firefighters managed to keep the burn away from houses and barns.  There were a handful of spots where it looked as if there had been some close calls but the darkness along the slopes could also be caused by the rising Sunday morning sun. 

One of the best tools firefighters deployed were planes capable of dousing hotspots.  These water tankers worked in tandem with a helicopter.  The chopper only had a short distance between points.  It filled up in an irrigation ditch and then quickly unloaded over some ridge lines.  The planes, instead, circled back to Murtaugh Lake.  The pilots would circle the water and then come in and scoop up a load.  It attracted quite a crowd of onlookers and photographers.

This was repeated throughout the weekend.

It gives you an indication of the long hours and dedication of the teams involved.

Some of the farmland that appeared threatened Saturday looked to be in the clear Sunday, although.  There were some spots where you could see some smoldering along a ridgeline.

When the evacuation order was lifted, Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Deputies moved the roadblock back to the boundary with Bureau of Land Management.  BLM and Forest Service fire teams have been joined by a great many local paid firefighters and volunteers.  On Sunday morning outside the Rock Creek General Store there were teams staging from as far away as Gooding.  On Saturday at the same location I came across a member of the Buhl Fire District.  He appeared to be buying lunch for a lot of people.  I suspect mealtimes aren’t exactly regular.