Thunderstorms, Rain Predicted for Nethker Fire Area

A Red Flag warning remains in effect today due to the threat of thunderstorms that could produce winds up to 45 mph accompanied by marble-size hail. The winds could accelerate fire activity and movement; however, cooler, wetter weather is also in the forecast. This is expected to moderate fire activity and decrease the potential for spot fires. The fire size is estimated at 2,000 acres and is 27 percent contained. An infrared flight over the fire, which would provide a more accurate acreage, could not take place overnight due to cloud cover. Nethker Fire map as of August 10, 2019. A community meeting will be held tonight at 7 p.m. at the Secesh Fire Department. The fire is not threatening the community of Secesh; however, firefighters continue to update existing structure assessments to determine the need for wildland fuels reduction around structures. This measure is precautionary and can be used for future planning. Crews made good progress Friday on the southern end of the fire. Firefighters will continue to work the west and east sides of the fire with help from aircraft to contain existing spot fires and build containment line. The Warren Wagon Road north of McCall is closed to individuals who do not have property in the area. Incident personnel are staffing roadblocks north of Secesh Summit and south of Grouse Creek. This is subject to changed based on fire activity. Delays may occur while property owners wait for the pilot car to escort them. The Burgdorf/French Creek Road also remains closed from the Warren Wagon junction to Corduroy.  An existing area closure for Forest Service land has been expanded. Popular areas affected by this closure include: Trail Lake, Summit Lake, Lake Rock, Josephine Lake, Frosty Meadow, Ruby Meadows to Loon Lake (Loon Lake remains open), Crystal Mountain, and Bear Pete Mountain. Chinook Campground is open with access only from Warren. The closure order and map can be found here: http://bit.ly/NethkerFireAreaClosure2. A TFR (Temporary Flight Restriction) has been implemented over the fire area – which means recreational drones and private aircraft may not be operated over the fire. The TFR can be found here: https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_9_4931.html.