Redfish Inlet Campground was evacuated that evening, and the Redfish Lake Recreation Complex was closed on Friday, following the discovery of a wildfire in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, seven miles south of Stanley, on Thursday afternoon. Approximately one mile north of the Redfish Inlet Trailhead, between Bench Lakes 2 and 3, the Bench Lake Fire was initially discovered on Thursday at 12:26 p.m., according to the South Idaho Interagency Dispatch Center. The fire’s origin is a mystery. As of Friday at 12 p.m., it was 0% contained. At 1:30 p.m. on Friday, the National Interagency Fire Center plotted the 66-acre fire perimeter.
On Friday at noon, South Idaho dispatch and flight radar reported that two Super Scooper amphibious planes from Provo, Utah, and an AS350 Squirrel helicopter from Ontario, Oregon, were dropping water on the fire. Additionally, a fourth Twin Falls-based Turbo Commander aircraft was circling the Bench Lakes. As of Friday afternoon, the NIFC estimated that the total cost of fire suppression to date was $7.5 million. A red flag warning was in effect for the entirety of Blaine County and western Custer County on Friday from 2 to 9 p.m. On Thursday, firefighters and air support arrive. Thursday By approximately 8:30 p.m., at least 17 firemen who were a part of a “Type 3” incident management team had arrived at the scene, according to the Great Basin Coordination Center.
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