Fire breaks out<br><font size=2><i>A brush fire in Hailey burned three outlying buildings and took 21/2 hours to contain</i><font>
By JASMINE LINABARY<br><i>Wood River Journal</i>

Valley firefighters were still working to put out a brush fire near Hailey on Tuesday morning.
The fire consumed about 90 percent of the area formerly known as Lower Board Ranch, a three-acre property along the Big Wood River and Bullion Street in Hailey, shortly after 4 p.m. Monday.
&#8220;It was a very fast-moving, intense fire,&#8221; said Chief Bart Lassman of Wood River Fire & Rescue.
It took firefighters two and half hours to contain the fire with wind gusts up to 20 miles an hour changing directions and swirling the fire, Lassman said.
Approximately 45 firefighters and 13 engines from all the Valley&#039;s agencies responded. About 15 firefighters and a hired excavation crew remained on scene Tuesday morning working to control several remaining hot spots and trees.
Three outlying buildings were burned and about six structures adjacent to the fire were 
immediately threatened with the fire coming within 30 feet of the homes at times, Lassman said. The fire did threaten but did not damage public land.
Nearby homeowners assisted firefighters with garden hoses trying to fend off creeping brush fires, Lassman said.
The property owners had been removing cottonwood trees for a future development and had several piles of the trees, as well as two or three city blocks of standing trees, making the area susceptible to burning, Lassman said.
Cottonwood trees tend to rot from the inside out and burn the same way. About 10 trees fell and another 12 were cut down to protect the firefighters and prevent spreading, Lassman said.
&#8220;It&#039;s a very dangerous area right now because of the burned trees,&#8221; Lassman said.
Agencies received an alert that Tuesday might bring 25-mile-per-hour wind gusts and firefighters were working to put the fire to bed.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, though officials believe it was man-caused and suspicious. Hailey Police Chief Jeff Gunter told city council members Monday night that the department had several people of interest.
Local agencies will be monitoring the scene for the rest of the week to watch for flare-ups, Lassman said.
The current estimated cost of the fire is &#036;50,000. 
	


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