Kamiah, Idaho – With the cooler temperatures and higher humidities,
firefighters are working to mop-up and reinforce lines on existing fires. The recent rains have slowed, but not ended,
fire season.
As
firelines are secured for the many large fires that threatened private property
and homes, firefighting personnel from the Forests are concentrating efforts on
suppression actions for some of the Forests’ backcountry fires. To date, the Forests have detected 279 fires,
189 of which have been extinguished. Those
fires have burned across an estimated 180,000 acres.
Due
to public safety concerns, a number of area, road, and trail closures remain in
place in the vicinities of major fire activity.
Nez Perce-Clearwater Forest officials continue to monitor conditions on
the Forest and will adjust existing closures as soon as it is safe to do so.
Late
Friday, September 4, closures were removed from several Selway-Bitterroot
Wilderness Trails on the Moose Creek Ranger District. Those trails included Bear Creek Trail 516,
and Selway River Trail 4 and a number of associated trails.
Individuals
planning to visit the national forests are encouraged to contact any of the
Forest’s offices or visit the Forests online at www.fs.usda.gov/nezperceclearwater and click on the “fire information” tab for the
latest fire information and a current map of closures. Additional information regarding specific
fires or fire complexes can be accessed at www.inciweb.nwcg.gov .
South Zone (Salmon River and Red River Ranger Districts)
Name: Red
River Complex
Location: South of Elk
City, Idaho
Started: August 17,
2015 Cause: Lightning
Total
Acreage: 41,830 acres Containment: 0% Contained
Fires
Originally within Red River Complex: 6 fires
Active Fires
within the Complex: Slaughter 100 acres and Rattlesnake 1,350 acres are being managed by the
Red River District. The other fires in
this complex are being managed by an incident management team. Those fires include Lone Park and Crown
(combined) 33,250 acres, Noble Fire 5,750 acres, and Little Green Fire 1,380
acres.
Major Events: Little to no growth is being reported for the
Slaughter or Rattlesnake Fires being managed by the Red River Ranger
District. For information regarding the
remainder of the fires, please select the Selway Complex from www.inciweb.org or call 877-367-9503.
Central Zone (Lochsa-Powell and Moose Creek Ranger Districts)
Name: Lochsa South Complex
Location: South of
Lochsa River from Warm Springs Creek to the Selway River
Started: August 15,
2015 Cause:
Lightning
Total Acreage: 9,690 acres
Containment:
0% Contained
Active Fires
within the Complex: Sponge 5,100
acres, Lone Lake 220 acres, Lone Knob 460 acres, Horse Camp 570 acres, Grit 525
acres, Fire Creek 1,210 acres, Airstrip 1,425 acres.
Major Events: Fires are being monitored.
Name: Wilderness
Complex
Location:
Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness (much of the Moose Creek Ranger District)
Started: August 4,
2015 Cause:
Lightning
Total Acreage: 19,295
acres Containment: 0%
Active Fires
within the Complex: Roll Creek 7,850 acres, Rock Point 250 acres, Meeker 2,400
acres, Baily 1,525 acres, Army Mule Fire 5,400 acres, Barren 1,205 acres, Wahoo
650 acres.
Major Events:
These fires are burning within the
Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and are being monitored as they play their natural
role in shaping the Wilderness landscape.
North Zone (Palouse and North Fork Ranger Districts)
Name: Larkin Complex
Location: Roughly 30
airline miles NE of Pierce
Started: August 17,
2015 Cause:
Lightning
Total Acreage: 7,330 acres
Containment:
0% Contained
Active Fires
within the Complex: Snow Creek Fire 3,270 acres, Wolf Pack Fire 1,370 acres,
and Heather Fire 2,085 acres, Minnesaka 450, and Roaring 100.
Name: Scurvy Mountain Fire Location: 28 miles ENE
of Pierce, Idaho
Started: August 21,
2015 Cause:
Lightning
Total Acreage: 520 acres Containment:
0% contained
Major Events: Spread limited due to rain, higher humidities
and cooler temperatures. Actions have
been taken to protect the Scurvy Mountain Lookout.
Closures:
Closure orders are available at www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/nezperceclearwater/. Click on the fire information tab and scroll
down to the closure area map and/or specific Forest orders.
