Single Publication

Updates on the Kootenai River Complex will be provided with less frequency or as operations change.

Incident Command: Bonners Ferry District Type 3, Brian Hicks/Mitch Prophet(t) Incident Commanders  

Estimated Size: 23,131 acres                                   Completion: 85%                                                                                                                                    Personnel: 67

Highlights: Upcoming weather predictions show a minor disturbance pushing through the area Monday evening, followed by similar conditions to the past week. There could be increased fire activity, but no significant movement is expected. After this disturbance, fire managers will assess additional properties to remove sprinkler equipment and communicate with property owners. Fire remains on the landscape, but the threat is reduced from earlier in the season due to shorter days, lower temperatures, and higher humidity. Expect to see continued smoke until the snow falls or significant rain occurs. 

This week, a Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team will start assessing the burned area to determine post-fire recovery needs. The BAER team looks at water and soil impacts, erosion potential, vegetation issues, archaeology, and more, to decide what needs to be done to help the forests recover. 

Planned Actions: Pumps, hoses, sprinklers, and water tanks remain around many properties west of Westside Road that the fire could still impact. Firefighters test these systems regularly to ensure they are working. Crews continue strengthening firelines and cooling the fire's edge where they can access it. Helicopters are still dropping water to slow fire spread where necessary. These drops have been done in the Farnham Creek and Clark Creek areas for the past several days. Rehabilitation work has begun on some equipment lines, including reseeding, installing water bars for erosion control, and using an excavator to pull the lines back in places. Crews are working with homeowners for those that want to leave the line in place on their property. The Long Canyon and Katka fires continue to show some activity. Both fires remain unstaffed, and firefighters continue to monitor them from the air and lookout points.

Weather: A dry cold front will pass over the fire Monday evening. Temperatures will be in the high 50’s Monday and Tuesday with low relative humidity’s of 30-51 percent. On Monday, winds will be south to southeast, 7-10 mph with gusts to 18 mph, switching to northwest to north winds on Tuesday, 4-8 mph with gusts to 16 mph.

Closures: The following National Forest Trails and Roads are closed: Ball Creek Road (FR 432), Trout Creek Road (FR 634), Cascade Creek Road (FS 2411), Russell Mountain (No. 12), Russell Ridge (No. 92), Ball and Pyramid Lakes (No. 43), Pyramid Pass (No. 13), Pyramid Peak (No. 7), Fisher Peak (No. 27), Trout Lake (No. 41), McGinty Ridge (No. 143), Clifty Mountain and Clifty/Burrow (No. 182), Myrtle Peak Trail (No. 286), Burton Peak Trail (No. 9), Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail (No. 221) and Long Canyon Trail (No. 16). View the closure order and map at https://tinyurl.com/BFClosure.

Evacuations: There are NO evacuations currently in place. Those living on the Westside Road closest to Ball Creek, Burton Creek, and Clark Creek are in READY fire pre-evacuation status. Residents of Boundary County, Idaho, can visit https://www.nixle.com or text their home zip code to 888777 to sign up for emergency alerts. To learn more about READY SET GO, visit https://bit.ly/3wi0jMu.