07/21/2025
The 30-acre Clover Fire that scorched multiple properties and caused millions of dollars in damage was ignited by a campground worker disposing of firepit ash, according to Idaho Department of Lands officials.
On July 13, a groundskeeper at Blue Lake RV Resort was traveling from campsite to campsite collecting ash in a garbage can to be dumped, said Rodney Weeks, Idaho Department of Lands fire investigation program manager. When some of it spilled into a field of tall grass, it ignited. The fire quickly spread across nearby properties.
Now, the resort’s owners, Nick Larsen and his mother, Liz Waitinas, face a steep financial reckoning.
According to the Sandelin family, who own a nearby lumberyard, their losses alone will amount to several million dollars in equipment and inventory for their family-owned logging business, UTR Land Management. However, Denise Sandelin, who runs the business with her husband Paul, said they don't intend to sue for the losses.
Though Blue Lake RV Resort owners will not have to recompense all the Sandelins’ losses, they will still be on the hook for the cost of the massive, multi-agency fire suppression effort, Weeks said.
That effort involved hundreds of first responders and 11 aircraft, including tankers and helicopters.
“The aerial response is very expensive, with cruise time, engine time, and aircraft time,” said Weeks. “It’s up to the incident commander to make that decision. If there’s dry conditions and homes or lives at risk, they’re going to throw everything at that fire.”
A 30-acre wildfire that scorched multiple properties and caused millions of dollars in damage was ignited by a campground worker disposing of firepit ash, according to Idaho Department of Lands officials.
