Lighting strikes Tuesday added to the workload of firefighters just as some long-standing blazes approached containment.
Several dozers and air tankers worked to slow the 100-acre Mica Slash Fire burning northwest of Deary off the Little Bear Creek Road. The fire is believed to have started about 10 a.m. from a lightning strike, according to fire information officer Craig Foss at Coeur d'Alene. An interagency team is expected to take over control of the fire today.
Two air tankers worked the Annis Fire burning between the Slate Creek and Nut Basin roads on the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests near Slate Creek. According to a Forest Service dispatch website, the fire burned a quarter acre.
Lightning strikes in the Blue Mountains started two fires on the Pomeroy District of the Umatilla National Forest. Assistant Fire Management Officer Bob Allbee at Pomeroy said both are spot fires and staffed.
The Cache Creek Fire burning near the Washington/Oregon state line in Hells Canyon grew to 1,200 acres Tuesday. The fire started Monday and is burning in dry grass.
The Garden Gulch Fire, which burned about 10 acres and threatened two homes between Lapwai and Culdesac, was contained by firefighters from the Nez Perce Tribe, Nez Perce County, Lapwai and Culdesac and an
Idaho Department of Lands helicopter. Jeff Handel, of the tribe's wildland fire department said the blaze started beneath a power line, likely from a spark from a transformer. The official cause remains under investigation.
Firefighters continued to make progress on fires that have been burning for some time. The Steep Corner Fire remained at 310 acres and is now 80 percent contained. A type two management team that took control of the fire following the death of Forest Service firefighter Anne Veseth of Moscow will begin to wrap up duties and likely transition out by Thursday according to fire spokesman Ted Pettis at Headquarters. He said management of the fire will be handed back to the Clearwater Potlatch Timber Protective Association and the Idaho Department of Lands.
The Porcupine Fire burning on either side of the Magruder Road grew only modestly. However the latest report on the fire was filed late Tuesday morning. The fire continues to threaten the Magruder Road, but no closures have been issued. Updates on the status of the road can be obtained by calling the Red River Ranger District in Elk City at (208) 842-2245.
The Mallard Fire burning on the breaks of the Salmon River near the Whitewater Ranch is now 80 percent contained.
The Powell SBW East complex in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area grew to about 10,000 acres. Fire crews are working to protect structures, such as bridges, fire lookout towers and trailheads but are otherwise monitoring the fire with remote cameras and airplanes. A large area of the Powell Ranger District south and east of Powell is closed because of the fires.
The Powelll SBW West Complex has burned more than 2,200 acres. Jerry Johnson Hot Springs and trails leaving from the Warm Springs Trailhead have been closed by the fire.
Several fires continue to burn on the Moose Creek Drainage, including the 4,300 acre Ditch Fire, the 2,400-acre Vista Fire and the 1,200-acre Pettibone Fire. Several trails have been closed near the fires.
Copyright 2012 - Lewiston Tribune, Idaho
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
