2 Firefighters Die in Idaho Brush Fire

A lightning-sparked brush fire that raged in high winds killed two firefighters and blackened 10,000 acres before it was contained Saturday night.

The fire was one of dozens throughout southwestern and west-central Idaho--including more than 50 in the Boise National Forest--sparked by a series of thunderstorms. Fueled by the summer’s hottest temperatures and dry grasses, the fire near the community of Kuna was spread by 70-m.p.h. winds.

Josh Oliver, 18, and Bill Buttram, 31, of the Kuna Rural Fire Department were trapped Friday night in their tanker truck and radioed for help. “Fire’s all around us, and we need help,” one said at about 8:30 p.m. “Our engine quit.”

The Initial Point fire, named for a butte near the town, came as close as four miles to the town and within yards of two subdivisions. Two women were treated for smoke inhalation.

U.S. Bureau of Land Management spokesman Barry Rose said 270 homes in the subdivisions were evacuated and one home was destroyed, as well as a large farm building and several smaller buildings. Most residents were allowed to return early Saturday.