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Kootenai River Complex

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Unit Information

3232 West Nursery Road 
Coeur d'Alene, 
Idaho 
83814 
3232 West Nursery Road 
Coeur d'Alene, 
Idaho 
83814 

Incident Contacts

  • IPNF Fire Information Line
    Phone:
    208-557-8813
  • Kootenai River Complex Fire Information Line
    Phone:
    208-202-5021
    Hours:
    Monday - Sunday 7am to 9pm
  • Bonners Ferry Ranger District - Closure Info
    Phone:
    208-267-5561
    Hours:
    Monday - Friday 7:30 am to 4:00 pm

Kootenai River Complex Fact Sheet - Sept 29, 2022

Kootenai River Complex
Publication Type: News 09/29/2022

Please note: Factsheets on the Kootenai River Complex will be provided with less frequency or as operations change.

Incident Command: Type 2 Eastern Area Incident Management Team Gold, Brian Pisarek, IC

Estimated Size: 22,482 acres                       Completion: 85%                                             Personnel: 224

Key Message: The Eastern Area Incident Management Team will be officially transitioning to a new team this coming weekend. Fire management responsibilities for the Kootenai River Complex will be given back to the local Ranger District. The incoming team will shadow the outgoing team on Friday so they will be ready to take full control on Saturday.
 
Current Status: Wednesday was a much more active fire day than the previous few days. A lot of smoke and fog was held down at low elevations by the inversion, but parts of the fire burning above the inversion were putting up straight columns of smoke. An area in Long Canyon burned upslope Wednesday, reaching the ridge line but stayed on the south slope of Long Canyon Creek. Heavy helicopters dropped 46,500 gallons on Long Canyon and 79,000 gallons of water on the Farnham area to slow the fire spread. Heavy fuels and sheltered fuels are the main carriers of fire, but dry shrubs and low tree branches are becoming more susceptible to burning.

Planned Actions: The weather front coming through the area Thursday will bring cooler air and higher humidity which will lower fire intensity, but sheltered fuels will continue to smolder. Air resources will monitor the activity on the Long Canyon fire since it’s unexpected growth on Wednesday and determine needs for action and crews will begin assessing structures along Smith Creek Canyon. The Katka Fire will be unstaffed and monitored by air resources. Crews will continue their suppression repair efforts where safe to do so. There is an opportunity for crews to put in a new dozer line that will connect two sections of existing line in the Farnham area. Along Westside Rd firefighters will be patrolling fire control lines, testing and maintaining structure protection equipment, and mitigating hazard trees and snags.

Weather: Rain is expected across the area Thursday morning ranging from ¼ to ½ inch. The high temperatures will be in the 60’s and relative humidity will rise to around 80-86%. Winds will be calm and variable.

Closures: Due to active fires and fire suppression activities, Westside Road is restricted to residents only. Additionally, the following National Forest Trails and Roads 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. 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 .

Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR): There are TFRs in place for air space over the Katka Fire (2-2384) and the Russell Mountain Fire (2-5373) for aviation safety. Remember that temporary flight restrictions also apply to unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) or drones. If you fly, we can’t!