A fast-moving fire on the Fort Hall Reservation in southeast Idaho tore through roughly 10 acres Friday afternoon, destroying or damaging dozens of vehicles, multiple structures, and a significant amount of farm equipment before crews brought it under control that evening.
The Hawthorne Road Fire was reported at approximately 2:29 p.m. along Hawthorne Road, between Cemetery Road and Edmo Road. The fire started in a haystack before spreading into an adjacent grassy field and rapidly consuming surrounding property.
Significant Property Losses, No Injuries
The blaze left a wide trail of destruction. Roughly 50 vehicles were destroyed or damaged, along with two pole barns and two single-wide trailer homes. Between 10 and 20 pieces of farm equipment and tractors were also lost or damaged. Fortunately, both trailer homes were unoccupied at the time, and no injuries were reported. A previous fire on the Fort Hall Reservation had similarly destroyed homes, vehicles, and farm equipment with no injuries — a fortunate outcome in both cases given the scale of property loss involved.
The cause of the Hawthorne Road Fire remains unknown and is currently under investigation.
Multiple Fire Departments Unite to Stop the Blaze
Containing the fire required a coordinated effort from multiple agencies across the region. The Fort Hall Fire Department led the response, with assistance from the North Bannock, Chubbuck, Pocatello, and Blackfoot fire departments. The U.S. Wildland Fire Service also contributed to the firefighting effort. Combined, those crews managed to contain the fire before 7:39 p.m. Friday — just over five hours after it was first reported.
Southeast Idaho has seen increasingly active fire and weather conditions this summer. Earlier this season, severe thunderstorm warnings blanketed the region with hail and damaging wind — conditions that can rapidly dry out vegetation and elevate fire risk across open fields and agricultural land.
What Comes Next
Investigators are working to determine what ignited the haystack that started the fire. Until a cause is confirmed, the incident remains under active investigation. Property owners affected by the Hawthorne Road Fire face potentially significant losses, particularly those who lost vehicles and agricultural equipment essential to farming operations. No timeline has been given for when the investigation is expected to conclude.