BOISE — Sheriff's deputies Friday expanded evacuation orders to 1,600 homes near the Idaho mountain resort community of Sun Valley as a wind-driven wildfire burned its way through sage and pine trees.
The evacuation orders for the 100-square-mile Beaver Creek Fire included homes in drainages and foothills west of the towns of Hailey and extending to north of Ketchum in central Idaho.
More than 600 state and federal firefighters were working to get the blaze under control and protect homes in the affluent resort region that's a second home to celebrities such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Hanks and Bruce Willis.
Another 1,000 firefighters were expected to report to the scene later Friday night, said Shawna Hartman, spokeswoman for the Beaver Creek Fire.
Fire managers say the fire grew rapidly Friday thanks to wind gusts topping out at 30 mph, low humidity and tinder-dry ground fuels.