Field Reports: Fires prompt closures in North Idaho
From staff reports
A set of wildfires in North Idaho has prompted road and campsite closures in the mountains south of the St. Joe River.
The Bluff Creek Complex is made up of four fires burning on both sides of Bluff Ridge about 13½ miles southeast of Avery. The four blazes totaled about 573 acres as of Wednesday morning.
In response to the fires, the U.S. Forest Service has ordered the following closures:
•The Gold Flat Campsite, 8.6 miles north on Forest Service Road 218 from the Red Ives Cabin, is closed. The campsite closure includes 6.2 acres bordered by the St. Joe River on the west side and road 218 on the east.
•Forest Service Road 509, from its junction with County Highway 50 to its intersection with Forest Service Road 201.
•Forest Service Road 1258, from its junction with road 509 to its intersection with road 201.
•Forest Service Road 1956F, from its junction with road 509 to its junction with Forest Service Road 3338.
•Forest Service Road 322, from its junction with road 201 to Conrad Peak.
An update on fire operations Wednesday said there were 196 people working the fires. The largest is the Junction fire at 276 acres; the next largest is the Dominion Point fire at 270 acres.
The East Fork fire is 25 acres, but it is a high priority for firefighters because it’s close to private timberland and active logging sales.
Multiple fires spur closures in North Cascades National Park Complex
Three fires have led to road and trail closures in parts of the North Cascades National Park Complex.
The largest is the Pioneer fire, which has burned more than 33,000 acres on the shores of Lake Chelan. Emergency managers ordered residents of the remote resort town of Stehekin to evacuate on Sunday as the fire drew near.
It has also prompted the closure of the Stehekin Valley Road and a number of trails, campsites and cross country zones in the area.
The fire is burning in the Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness Area about 31 miles northwest of Chelan.
Two smaller blazes west of the Pioneer fire have also forced the National Park Service to close roads and trails.
The Easy fire had burned about 528 acres as of Wednesday morning on Forest Service land west of Mazama.
That blaze had caused the closure of the North Cascades Highway, or State Route 20, between Easy Pass trailhead and Granite Creek. The stretch of highway reopened Friday and remained open as of Wednesday morning.
Easy Pass trailhead and the trail itself remain closed.
The Pincer Two fire, burning about 102 acres east of Marblemount, caused the closure of Cascade River Road at Marble Creek. Visitors can’t access the park beyond the closure.
Cascade Pass trail is closed from the trailhead to the pass, and the Johannesburg cross country zone is also closed.