Road closures are still in effect for the Halstead Fire in Idaho. The fire started on July 27 about 3 miles north of Stanley, and is burning in a rugged area of the Salmon-Challis National Forest.

The fire was active yesterday, gaining more than 7,200 acres in the afternoon. Smoke columns were visible from Challis as the fire rapidly burned through bug-killed trees in Pinyon Creek and Bernard Creek on the north part of the fire.

A small spot fire discovered Monday night, according to Bob Houseman’s IMT, made a 2,000-acre run and went from a low surface-burning fire to an extreme canopy fire that raced across the treetops as wind and topography aligned in the bug-killed timber. The IMT has noted extreme growth potential on this fire.

Fire crews and managers have been warned about the dangers of bug-killed timber stands moving quickly to crown fire behavior in the Northern Rockies.

Heads-up out there, eh?