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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: 23,666 acres               Completion: 85%                  Personnel: 52

Highlights: Higher wind speeds occurred across the fire area on Monday evening and into Tuesday due to a passing cold front. While the fires showed some growth, the control lines held. Currently, the most active fire behavior is in the Clark Creek, Farnham Creek, and Trout Creek drainages.

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. 

On Wednesday, a Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team will begin 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. 

Operations: Pumps, hoses, sprinklers, and water tanks remain around many properties west of Westside Road the fire could still impact. Firefighters test these systems regularly to ensure they are working. Crews are moving some of the hoses, sprinklers, and pumps from areas with cold black to where the fire is backing down to the handlines between the Trout and Farnham Creek drainages. On the southern end along Westside Road, crews are cooling the fire’s edge as it comes down to the handline. Helicopters are still dropping water to slow fire spread where necessary. On Tuesday, these drops were done in the Trout Creek drainage. 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. Still, there was no significant growth during the storm passage Monday. Both fires remain unstaffed, and firefighters continue to monitor them from the air and lookout points.

Weather: On Wednesday, temperatures will rise to the high 60’s, and low 70’s as high pressure strengthens over North Idaho. Low relative humidity will be 33-39 percent Wednesday and Thursday. Winds will be light and terrain driven, with direction varying by aspect.

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.