Crews battle range fire at Idaho National Laboratory; fire burns ‘critical infrastructure’
By APWednesday, July 14, 2010
Crews battle 170-square-mile fire in Idaho
BOISE, Idaho — A fire at the Idaho National Laboratory site in southeastern Idaho has burned about 170 square miles since it started Tuesday afternoon.
Officials say “critical infrastructure” has burned, including power lines, causing a loss of electricity to the Materials & Fuels Complex, where research and development of nuclear fuels takes place. The complex, about 28 miles west of Idaho Falls, is being powered by diesel generators.
About 300 firefighters from the Idaho National Laboratory and the Bureau of Land Management are on scene with 28 fire engines, a helicopter, nine bulldozers, five air tankers and an air attack plane.
Officials say firefighting crews with bulldozers are focusing primarily on the north front between the laboratory site and State Highway 33 and on the west front, which is still on the 890-square-mile site.
