DONNELLY, Idaho (AP) -- About 350 firefighters worked Friday to clear fire lines around Idaho's first major blaze of the season.
Helicopters also made repeated water drops on the blaze burning above the South Fork of the Salmon River in the Boise National Forest. It's 13 miles east of Donnelly in west-central Idaho.
The Dollar Fire had burned more than 625 acres through stands of parched sub-alpine fir, roaring up the spindly branches to consume the trees, Boise Forest spokesman David Olson said. An updated estimate of acres burned was expected late Friday.
``The fire rips up the tree and throws sparks well ahead of the line,'' he said. ``We fully expect much more torching with these hot temperatures.''
Crews constructed an anchor point on the fire's western flank to begin advancing along the southwestern and northwestern flanks, scraping the forest floor and clearing timber.
The blaze is moving in a northeasterly direction and has reached the 2002 Big Guy Fire burn.
``The focus is we're continuing to use older burns as fire breaks. A portion of the Dollar has stalled at the Big Guy Fire,'' Olson said. ``There's still plenty of fire line and water bucket work ahead.''
The fire was about 5 percent contained, and full containment was not expected until July 24.
Crews also are working to create the first helispot for helicopters to land near the fire, although it means cutting through thick timber.
The Boise Forest has not announced any fire restrictions yet and there were no forest closures, but Olson asked campers to be cautious with fires. The cause of the Dollar fire is under investigation.
