Campus Alert Archive
ISU

A Brush Fire by I-15 Pushed ISU to Evacuate Its Tech Complex

IDwildfireemergency notificationmedium confidence

On September 21, 2020, a wildfire ignited near Interstate 15 and Barton Road on the southeast side of Pocatello, prompting Idaho State University to evacuate the Eames Advanced Technical Education and Innovations Complex, the Business and Technology Center, and the Idaho Accelerator Center. The fire was reported around 2:50 p.m. and caused only minor damage to a fence on the west side of the Eames Complex, with no injuries.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Idaho State University
Public R2 · ID
ISU Alerts
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTmulti-channel
Approximate reconstruction171 chars
ISU Alert: Evacuate the Eames Complex, Business and Technology Center, and Idaho Accelerator Center immediately due to a nearby fire. Leave the buildings and the area now.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed: KPVI and LocalNews8 reported ISU directed people in the named buildings to evacuate and leave the area; the precise alert wording was not archived publicly.
The fire was reported around 2:50 p.m. MDT near Interstate 15 and Barton Road, south of the Eames Complex. Pocatello is on Mountain Time.
ALL CLEARmulti-channel
Approximate reconstruction193 chars
ISU Alert: The fire near the Eames Complex is contained and the evacuation order is lifted. Only a fence sustained minor damage and there were no injuries. Buildings are cleared for normal use.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed: ISU said in a Monday-evening news release that a west-side fence was the only university property damaged and the damage was minor, indicating the threat had passed.
This is a true all-clear: it lifted the evacuation and declared the buildings cleared, rather than maintaining avoidance.
Context

Background

Idaho State University's Eames Advanced Technical Education and Innovations Complex sits on the southeast edge of Pocatello near Interstate 15, in a wildland-urban interface that makes brush fires a recurring hazard. On September 21, 2020, a fire reported around 2:50 p.m. MDT near I-15 and Barton Road prompted ISU to evacuate the Eames Complex, the Business and Technology Center, and the Idaho Accelerator Center. According to KPVI, the Pocatello Fire Department reported no injuries and only minor fence damage on the west side of the Eames Complex. Fire officials later said a similar east-side Pocatello wildfire was likely human-caused. Pocatello sits in the Mountain Time zone, unlike Idaho's Pacific-Time panhandle.
Analysis

Key Findings

A wildfire near I-15 and Barton Road forced ISU to evacuate three technical buildings on September 21, 2020
The Pocatello Fire Department reported no injuries and only minor damage to a fence on the Eames Complex
Pocatello is in the Mountain Time zone, distinguishing this southern-Idaho campus from Pacific-Time northern Idaho institutions
The Eames Complex's wildland-urban-interface location makes it recurrently exposed to brush fires along the interstate corridor
Outcome
The Pocatello Fire Department reported no injuries. The only university property damaged was a fence on the west side of the Eames Complex, and ISU described that damage as minor.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    UPDATE: Wildfire forces evacuation of ISU's Eames Complex - KPVI
    kpvi.com
  2. News
    Pocatello fire causes ISU Eames Complex to evacuate Monday - LocalNews8 (KIFI)
    localnews8.com
  3. News
    Fire officials: Monday wildfire on Pocatello's east side likely human caused - Idaho State Journal
    idahostatejournal.com
Tags
wildfireevacuationidahoemergency-notificationwildland-urban-interfacemountain-time
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion