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KAMAS — Ledgefork Campground visitors were evacuated Friday afternoon as the result of a large wildfire raging less than a mile away.
The campground, located near the Smith and Morehouse Reservoir, is about 0.6 miles from the Box Canyon Fire, which had consumed 2,919 acres by Friday.
The wildfire is about 20 percent contained, the U.S. Forest Service reported. The fire was first reported July 28, when two Boy Scout troops hiking in the area had to be evacuated by helicopter. Fire authorities say it was started by a campfire on an undeveloped campsite that escaped its bounds.
Ledgefork Campground was initially closed due to the fire and then reopened earlier this month.
The fire was active overnight and "spotted down" Box Canyon, said U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman MaryEllen Fitzgerald. Eight firefighters were kept on the fire overnight. Fire managers requested additional helicopters to assist Friday morning, Fitzgerald said.
Anyone with information about who may be responsible for causing the fire is asked to call the U.S. Forest Service at 435-654-0470.
