Idaho uses snow machines to fight fire at ski resort

BOISE, Idaho, Aug 27 (Reuters) Officials in Idaho today used snow-making cannons in an effort to fight a growing wildfire at the famed Sun Valley Ski Resort.

The Castle Rock Fire, which grew to 41,097 acres yesterday, has reached Bald Mountain, the ski hill home to Sun Valley. The snow-making cannons, which are normally used to create a blanket of artificial snow for skiers, are now hosing down grassy hillsides.

''The snow-making guns aren't going to stop a wildfire but they can prevent embers from starting fires in the grass,'' said Jack Sibbach, director of marketing for the Sun Valley Ski Resort.

The resort also began running some of its ski lifts to keep lift cables from getting overheated by hot spots.

The fires have reached an area known as Seattle Ridge, where a 12 million dollar ski lodge is threatened by advancing flames. To prevent damage to the building, the US Forest Service has stationed a structure protection crew at the site around the clock. The luxurious ski lodge was built in 1993.

The damage to Bald Mountain accompanies increased mandatory evacuations of about 1,000 people in the wealthy resort area.

Numerous million-dollar homes as well as several mobile home parts were threatened by the wildfire.

Area schoolchildren who were set to attend their first day of school today were given a reprieve as school was called off for today and tomorrow.

Weather in the central Idaho area was supposed to be better for firefighters, with calmer winds. Still, fire managers expected to see intense fire activity today.

''The fuel conditions are still critically dry,'' said Jay Nichols, a spokesman for the California Interagency Command Team, the federal group managing the fire. The fire, which is only 31 percent contained, had 1,630 firefighters assigned to it Monday.

Reuters SY VP0007