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Author(s):
Bret W. Butler, Timothy D. Reynolds
Year Published:

Cataloging Information

Hot Topic(s):
Big Sagebrush Fire Ecology and Management
Topic(s):
Fire Behavior
Extreme Fire Behavior
Case Studies
Fire Effects
Ecological - Second Order
Soils
Vegetation
Ecosystem(s):
Sagebrush steppe

NRFSN number: 11146
FRAMES RCS number: 11888
Record updated:

The Butte City Fire occurred on July 1, 1994, west of Idaho Falls, ID. Ignited from a burning flat tire, the blaze was driven by high winds that caused it to cover over 20,500 acres in just over 6.5 hours. Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis) is the principal shrub species of this high desert rangeland. With the absence of vegetation after the fire, erosion increased tremendously. Because the fire occurred on the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, researchers were able to gather weather information from remote meteorological stations positioned on and around the site.

Citation

Butler, B.W.; Reynolds, T.D. 1997. Wildfire case study: Butte City Fire, southeastern Idaho, July 1, 1994. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-GTR-351. Ogden, UT: USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. 15 p.