BOISE, Idaho — William Howard went to the northern Idaho town of Juliaetta on Thursday to help a friend after a lightning-caused wildfire ravaged the friend’s land. He used barrels of water to extinguish “hot spots” on the land.
But in the 15 minutes it took to fill the barrels, the area was ravaged by wind-fanned flames.
A terrifying video, taken by Howard as he fled in his vehicle, shows towering flames engulfing both sides of the road on the edge of town. A mobile home and several vehicles are burning on one side of the road. On the other side, trees and bushes are covered in flames.
Clouds of black and gray smoke obscure the view on all sides, and at times the view is only a few feet in front of us. A break in the smoke reveals a burning fence line and a few large round hay bales stacked a short distance away.
Williams’ mother, La-Nora Howard, who spoke to him afterward and posted the video to Facebook, wrote that he heard propane tanks and ammunition exploding as he drove away. Howard agreed to share the video with The Associated Press but declined an interview.
The video is one of several social media posts Thursday and Friday showing flames ravaging the normally idyllic farm and forest lands surrounding a string of small towns along the Potlatch and Clearwater Rivers. Juliaetta and other communities in the area were evacuated Thursday, around the same time as Howard’s video.
Idaho Department of Lands spokeswoman Robbie Johnson said several buildings burned in the complex from fires that started after a thunderstorm passed through Wednesday night. It’s too early to know exactly how many because firefighters on the scene haven’t had time to count, she said.
“They’re really focused on getting the people and the animals out and hoping to stop the fire as quickly as possible,” Johnson said Friday morning.
Latah County deputies used loudspeakers and went door to door in Juliaetta telling people to evacuate, and residents received emergency messages via text message while agencies posted evacuation notices on social media, Latah County Deputy Riley Harkins said. The main road out of town was flanked by flames as evacuation efforts continued Thursday night, Harkins said.
The Latah County Fairgrounds served as an emergency shelter for people and livestock left homeless by the fire.