September 1 Parker Ridge Fire update: Situation improving, overall fire danger continues

September 1, 2015

With recent rain and cooler weather, the situation at Boundary County's Parker Ridge Fire have improved. The fire, now at 6,599 acres, is 45% contained. There are 82 personnel assigned to the fire, but some of those will be leaving soon to other assignments. A crew from Fairbanks, Alaska will finish their assignment in Boundary County today. A new crew of 21 firefighters from New Mexico arrived in the area on Friday. This New Mexico crew will be here helping on the fire for 11 more days. Firefighters are patrolling for hot spots and continuing to work on a smoldering peat bog in a drainage ditch near the West Side Road. Tree falling operations are working to remove hazard trees. Fire officials are keeping two helicopters available for this fire, one for bucket drops and one for reconnaissance. With rain and recent winds, skies are clearer, allowing for much better views of the fire from the air on the helicopter reconnaissance flights. This helps fire managers in assessment and planning the most effective ways to engage the fire. At this time, officials are also evaluating best ways for rehabilitation of the 10 square miles of burn area. Rehabilitation issues that need to be addressed include stability of the slope in the area, washout of sediment, and ensuring integrity of the "road prism," which comprises the roadway itself, the cut / fill zones of the road, and ditches. The Stage I alert for residents in the area has now been lifted. The same trail closures remain in place, which includes Parker Ridge Trail #221, Fisher Peak Trail #14, and Long Canyon Trail #16. In addition, the Westside Road north of Copeland Road is open to local traffic only, as a significant number of hazard trees have fallen across the road. Although recent rain and cooler temperatures have provided an opportunity for firefighters to make progress towards controlling existing fires, there are still up to 70 fires actively burning approximately 80,000 acres across the Idaho Panhandle National Forest. The record dry conditions have left forest vegetation void of the moisture normally present this time of year. Weather forecasts indicate that fire danger will remain high across northern Idaho. "It takes a continued pattern of moisture and cooler temperatures for large dead fuels, greater than three inches in diameter, to absorb adequate moisture to reduce the risk of dangerous wildfire spread," said Shoshana Cooper, U.S. Forest Service Public Information Officer. "When these fuels ignite they generate intense heat and extreme fire conditions. Until there is a significant amount of moisture that typically characterizes autumn in north Idaho, these fires are likely to resist any efforts to contain them." The severe shortage of firefighting resource across the northwest leaves a large number of fires on the Idaho Panhandle National Forests unstaffed and with uncontrolled burning edges. Forest Service officials have announced that the areas across the Idaho Panhandle National Forest that are currently under temporary emergency wildfire closures will remain closed through the Labor Day weekend. "The decision to close large areas of the Idaho Panhandle National Forests has been a very difficult one given the impacts to local communities and citizens; however, the safety of the public and firefighters is our priority. We will continue to monitor the fire activity within these area closures with the intent to reduce the size of them as soon as it is safe to do so,” said Mary Farnsworth, Idaho Panhandle National Forest Supervisor. In the Boundary County area, the only closed areas are the Parker Ridge Fire, part of the West Side Road as described above, and the trails listed above. Other regional fire areas are also closed, and a large part of the national forest in the Coeur d'Alene district is also closed. For a map of closed forest areas in our region, click here.