Idaho Panhandle National Forests fire update

One new fire was reported Aug. 6, across the Forest located on Priest Lake RD. Moderate increases in fire behavior was observed Tuesday. Concern for high temperatures and low relative humidities are causing firefighters to make preparations for increased fire potential.

A community meeting for the Cougar Fire was scheduled Aug. 8 at the Clark Fork Junior – Senior High School. Incident Command Team members will review the objectives and strategies of their work on the fire and be available for question and discussions. More information can be found at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6081/

The Copper Mountain fire is burning on the U.S. – Canadian border. A Type 3 Incident Management Team comprised of local interagency cooperators from North Idaho lead by Incident Commander Rod Weeks took command of the Copper and Slide fires Aug. 8, at 6 a.m. The in-brief from the Bonners Ferry District Ranger and Fire Management Officer took place at Bonners Ferry Ranger Station Aug. 7.

A Fire Prevention and Education Team has been established to educate the public about reducing human caused wildfire. This Team will support District Fire personnel with additional information and signs about Stage I Fire Restrictions and increased public education.

Fire Restrictions: Cooperating wildfire managers have called for Stage I Fire Restrictions to go into effect Thursday, Aug. 9, at midnight. This affects all public lands located in Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai, Shoshone, Benewah and Latah counties of Idaho and areas within Pend Oreille County, Washington; Sanders County, Montana; and Lincoln County, Montana that are administered by the Idaho Panhandle National Forests. More information can be found at http://www.idahofireinfo.com. Idaho Fish and Game are currently in Stage 1 restrictions. More information can be found at https://idfg.idaho.gov/fire.

Forest Closures: Several trails and roads in the Cougar Fire area are being closed for the protection of public health and safety due to wildfire activity. More information can be found at www.fs.fed.us/ipnf .

Fire Behavior: Fire Managers from across the Forest have observed increased fire behavior in the last 24 hours. A combination of drying fuels, steep slopes, diurnal winds, increased temperatures and lower relative humidities have caused fires to grow at the perimeters edge.

Weather: A few lower elevations will approach 100 degrees on Aug. 7. This trend continues with temperatures peaking on Thursday with dry and unstable conditions. Relative humidity will bottom out in the single digits to teens with poor recoveries during the night. A high pressure ridge aloft will move east as a cold front arrives Friday. This will likely create critical fire weather conditions Friday into Saturday with dry and windy conditions and a chance of thunderstorms.

Local fires currently burning as of Aug. 7:

Copper Mountain — 150 acres

Smith Creek — 390 acres

Slide Creek — 30 acres