Aerial assets were deployed over the weekend to contain a new wildfire that ignited Saturday morning about 3 miles north of Banner Summit.
The Banner Fire, discovered about a half-mile west of Banner Creek Campground off state Highway 21, burned through 3 acres of lodgepole pine and subalpine fir stands before it was contained Monday, according to the Salmon-Challis National Forest.
The Custer County Sheriff’s Office shared video footage on Facebook on Saturday afternoon depicting a Black Hawk-type helicopter performing bucket drops and a fixed-wing plane releasing fire retardant.
“A Type 1 crew and five firefighters along with support from a Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3 helicopter” worked to hold the fire within its footprint Sunday, according to the forest.
The fire’s cause was still u