Single Publication

 A virtual public meeting will be held on Wednesday, Aug 17 at 6pm on the Salmon-Challis Nat’l Forest Facebook Page.

Due to increased fire activity along the Salmon River from Pine Creek to Panther Creek, the portion of the Salmon River Road (#030) between Spring Creek and Panther Creek will be closed until further notice.  Panther Creek Rd is the alternate route to access Corn Creek.  The alternate route is unpaved, curvy and will have fire-related traffic present so please drive carefully and plan for extra travel time.

Northern Rockies Team 2 assumed command of the Moose Fire at 0600 this morning. Despite the forecast calling for hot and dry weather through Thursday, winds are expected to remain light, which reduces the likelihood of widespread fire growth and spotting. The western edge of the fire remains the most active, backing down the Salmon Breaks toward the Salmon River Road, causing debris to fall down to the road. Crews today will be engaged in fire suppression activities and may utilize strategic firing operations in this area to remove fuels from the path of the fire edge on these steep slopes. Air resources will be utilized, as well, where appropriate and safe to do so. Yesterday, the hot spot in the cottonwoods along Highway 93 near Fourth of July Creek was worked by firefighters, utilizing rafts to ferry firefighters and equipment across the river. Crews will continue to keep an eye on that area today. A finger extending to the west from Moose Creek kicked up today and put out some smoke that settled in the valleys. Both ground and aerial resources responded dropping buckets and reinforcing the line in this area. Hand and engine crews continued to go direct in areas of the “horseshoe” including Napoleon Area, Napoleon Hill, and Moose Meadows, but had to back off in some areas due to increased fire activity rendering it unsafe. Structure protection within the “horseshoe” is ongoing. Aerial resources assisted to cool these areas with bucket drops and crews will reassess the ability to engage the fire edge again today.

EVACUATIONS: Zone 14 (Salmon River Rd south along Panther Creek Rd to Trail Creek Rd) is now in “Ready” status. Zones 5 and 6 are no longer in an Evacuation Status. Residents in Zone 8 (Squaw Creek to Pine Creek bridge) and Zone 1 (Fairgrounds to Tower Creek west of Highway 93) remain in “SET” status. All other zones are in “READY” status. The latest updates can be found at https://www.lemhicountyidaho.org/site-home/urgent-alerts/latest-updates-moose-creek-fire.  

 CLOSURES AND RESTRICTIONS: A Salmon-Challis National Forest closure order remains in effect for the Moose Fire Emergency Area, Road, and Trail Closure, Order #04-13-22-506. Salmon River Road is closed to two-way traffic from Spring Creek to Panther Creek. Details and a closure map can be found at https://bit.ly/3BotHEf. Morgan Bar Campground is temporarily closed to public use; see on.doi.gov/3bCSeLx. For your safety, please stay out of the fire area north of the Salmon River, as well as other burned areas. Loose rocks, hazard trees, and lingering hot spots can all be extremely dangerous. Stage 1 Fire restrictions are in effect on the Salmon-Challis National Forest, BLM, and State of Idaho lands in Custer and Lemhi Counties, excluding wilderness areas. There is a temporary flight restriction over the fire area; see https://tfr.faa.gov. Thank you for respecting the TFR. If you fly, we can’t. Don’t be the reason that a firefighting air operation must divert from the mission.

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