Central Idaho federal employees back to work with local help

CHALLIS, Idaho (AP) — The fire started early Oct. 4, destroying the Bureau of Land Management office on the edge of town within minutes.

By that afternoon, state and federal investigators had arrived, combing the scene for any evidence of foul play.

Custer County, where 97 percent of land is owned by the federal government, easily could've been the latest hotspot for an escalating conflict around the West between land managers and anti-government militants such as Cliven and Ammon Bundy.

County commissioners met with BLM leaders to ensure the office wouldn't be moved to Salmon or another city.

Officials opened up the Community Event Center, so BLM employees could temporarily get back to work.

People go to church with BLM employees; they see them at the grocery store and the post office.

The fire started in the shop area of the building, torching an all-terrain-vehicle, a forklift, motorcycles, rafts, and other tools and supplies, Kuck said.

Officials still hope to recover some records, but almost everything else BLM employees used to manage nearly 800,000 acres of public lands was lost.

On Monday, Kuck and his staff continued to organize their temporary office space at the community center.

The owner of the burned building, longtime Challis resident Spencer Strand, said his insurance company is still examining specifics of what caused the blaze.