Firefighters Continue to Battle Wildfire in Central Idaho

(NECN/NBC News: Dan Scheneman) - For a tenth straight night, firefighters in central Idaho worked to contain one of the most dangerous wildfires burning in the country.

"This fire, I mean, it grew 30,000 acres yesterday, it's a, it's a beast," said Traci Weaver, incident management team.

The Beaver Creek fire exploded in size and fury over the past 36 hours, scorching more than 100 thousand acres.

"I've seen a lot of disasters in my lifetime, like tornados in Oklahoma where I come from, but never any fires that threaten my home like this," said resident Robert Cole.

Thousands of residents were ordered to leave their homes as the fast moving flames closed in on three communities.

"It was just me, the lord, and a garden hose," said resident Mike Weil, who chose to stay, saving his home but losing a shed. "This thing was on fire like a Roman candle. The building sitting here, it jumped into the roof and just basically consumed it in 5-8 minutes."

More than 700 firefighters are battling the blaze, working in 12 hour shifts and sleeping in tents just a mile from the fireline.

The Beaver Creek fire is feeding on dry forest land driven onward by 30-plus mile an hour winds, which will make it a difficult fight for days to come.

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