Top Trump official asked for more resources to fight a small fire near his Idaho ranch
Nine aircraft responded to the seven-acre blaze, which officials said drew repeated calls from the undersecretary overseeing the Forest Service.
- On July 12, the Forest Service deployed nine aircraft to the seven-acre Cabin Creek Fire near Idaho's Sawtooth National Forest, an operation costing roughly $114,000 just 15 miles from Michael Boren's ranch.
- Boren, the Donald Trump-appointed undersecretary overseeing the Forest Service, repeatedly called regional and national offices that day, including once in the middle of the night, demanding to know why reinforcements were delayed.
- Records show a stark contrast: the Cabin Creek fire received nine aircraft for hours, while a 21-acre blaze near Sugarloaf, Idaho, on June 25 drew just three aircraft for about 13 minutes. Steve Ellis, a 38-year Forest Service veteran, said, "It sounds like it was overkill."
- Agriculture Department spokesman Michael Abboud defended Boren's actions, stating, "At no point did he pressure leadership or order more resources." However, an official described Boren's conduct as "putting pressure on staff to throw more resources at" the fire.
- Former officials warned that concentrating scarce aircraft near Boren's backyard reflects the favoritism the national coordination system aims to prevent. The fire broke out when preparedness stood at level four, with aircraft pulled from other Idaho wildfires.
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Report: Trump appointee asked aircraft to fight 7-acre wildfire near his Idaho ranch as Utah burned
The Washington Post's Bianna Sacks and Andrew Ba Tran reported that a Trump official requested aircraft to fight a 7-acre fire near his Idaho ranch as Utah’s Cottonwood Fire burned in July.
Trump official feels heat as he calls in massive air force to fight small fire near home
When an unattended campfire near Idaho's Sawtooth National Forest grew into what would become the seven-acre Cabin Creek Fire on July 12, the Forest Service didn't send a truck and a crew. It sent an air armada – helicopters, air tankers, tactical planes and a Black Hawk. Nine aircraft in all, conve...
Trump Official Sought Aircraft for Fire Near His Property
“Undersecretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment Michael Boren, who oversees the U.S. Forest Service, asked agency staff last month to escalate the amount of aircraft at a seven-acre fire that had started near his mega-ranch in Idaho’s Sawtooth National Forest,” the Washington Post reports.
The spokesman-Review
The Seattle TimesTop Trump official asked for more aircraft to fight a small fire near his Idaho ranch
Undersecretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment Michael Boren, who oversees the U.S. Forest Service, asked agency staff last month to escalate the amount of aircraft at a seven-acre fire that had started near his mega-ranch in Idaho’s Sawtooth National Forest, according to two Forest Service officials familiar with the matter.
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