Single Publication

Incident Command: Type 2 Northern Rockies Incident Management Team 4, Rick Connell, I.C.

Estimated Size:  20,821 acres                      Completion: 79%                       Personnel: 333

Key Message: Hazard Trees are fire-weakened or dead standing trees that have a high probability of falling over at any time posing a threat to firefighter or public safety. There are several sections of the Westside Road where the fire reached the road and has affected some standing trees, creating some hazard trees.

Current Status: Crews completed the chainsaw cutting work involved in thinning the vegetation along Westside Road north of Trout Creek Road. Firefighters started packing up the extra pumps and hose from structure protection locations and backhauled it to Base Camp. Mop up work continued in areas where hazard trees did not threaten the work area. Crews started cutting hazard trees in several locations along Westside Road. Minimal fire activity was observed on the Katka Fire. A new fire was detected, located 2 ½ miles southeast of Burton Peak. A hotshot squad hiked to the fire, estimated its size at .10 acre, and had it contained by the end of shift. The overnight infrared detection flight mapped an increase in size of 77 acres on the Complex.

Planned Actions: Stronger winds are predicted for today, so crews will remain alert for any change in fire activity along the fireline. Higher humidity levels may keep fire activity subdued. North of the Trout Creek Road crews will begin chipping the vegetation material that was thinned alongside the Westside Road. Mop up work will continue along the fireline south of Trout Creek Road. Firefighters will continue working on the hand fireline near Ball Creek Road. The squad will continue to mop up the new fire southeast of Burton Peak. The Katka Fire will be monitored by air. Helicopters are available for air monitoring over both fires and for water delivery as needed if the smoke conditions allow for safe flying.

Weather: The weather today will be partly sunny with some haze. Temperatures in the valley will be 65-70 degrees with minimum Relative Humidity levels of 45-50%. Winds are forecasted to increase in the afternoon to 15-20 mph as a small frontal boundary moves through the area.

Closures: Due to active fires and fire suppression activities, the Westside Road is restricted to residents-only. Additionally, the following National Forest Trails are now closed: Ball Creek Road (FR 432), Trout Creek Road (FR 634), 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), and Burton Peak Trail (No. 9).

Evacuations: There are NO Evacuations currently in place. However, those living on the Westside Road closest to Ball Creek, Burton Creek, and Clark Creek have been placed in the SET fire evacuation status. SET is the stage of readiness before an actual evacuation takes place. 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 .

Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR): There is a new TFR in place for air space over the Katka Fire (2-7802) and an existing TFR in place over the Russell Mountain Fire (2-1621) for aviation safety. Remember that temporary flight restrictions also apply to unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) or drones. If you fly, we can’t!