| Update on local area wildland fires Following is a list of fire updates for National Forest and Idaho Department of Lands fires in the local area. Little Bear Fire Nez Perce-Clearwater National ForestPowell Ranger District Fire Information Line - 208-935-6134 July 31, 2023 Location: Powell Ranger District- half mile northeast from Bear Mountain Lookout, about one mile south of Highway 12, and less than one and a half miles southeast from Jerry Johnson Campground Start Date: 7/3/2023 Cause: Lightning ** Size: 820-830 acres * Completion of Objectives: 15% Total Personnel: 16 Engines: Helicopters: Hand Crews: 1 Wildland Fire Use Module CURRENT SITUATION Yesterday, the fire was slightly more active than it has been, given the drier weather conditions. Current estimates have put the fire growth around 50-60 acres. The Little Bear Fire was detected on July 3rd in steep and rugged terrain, with high density of snags from the Freezeout Fire that burned in 2012. As of July 31, the Little Bear fire is estimated to be around 820 acres to 830 acres, burning downhill and cleaning up dead, down logs that have fallen since the 2012 fire. Fuel reduction measures have been taken at Bear Mountain Lookout, and crews have set up structure protection around the area. Structure protection is in place around the Warm Springs pack-bridge. Firefighters continue to take further actions on the west side of the upper pack bridge to support structure protection objectives. WEATHER AND FIRE BEHAVIOR Temperatures will remain around low-90s to low-100s. Southwest winds will still occur today, but speeds will be a little less than yesterday (July 30, 2023). Relative humidities will be low, around the low-teens to low-20s. Thermal belts will strengthen, resulting in poor relative humidity recoveries each night through Wednesday night (August 2, 2023). Fire behavior has slightly increased, with flame lengths around 1-3 feet. Fire behavior could change depending on weather conditions. CLOSURES AND SPECIAL MESSAGES There is an official trail closure for National Forest Service Trail (NFST) #213 from McConnel Mountain Trail from its junction with Warm Springs Creek Trail #49 to the junction with the Bear Mountain Trail #21 or public safety due to the wildfire in the area. See attached map for official trail closure. Currently, there is no official closure of the Jerry Johnson Hot Springs area; however, fire managers advise that the public please avoid the area, if possible, due to the potential increase in fire behavior as a result of the continuing warmer and drier weather. Fire conditions can change rapidly- there is no infrastructure in place to notify trail-users if fire behavior increases. Midnight Fire Location: Forest
Service Road (FSR) #284 (Elk City Wagon Road) 1 mile east of China
Point, 3 miles Northwest of Pilot Knob near Mountain House Site Start Date: 7/10/23 Cause: Lightning Size: 179 acres Completion/Containment: 25% Total Personnel: 119 Engines: 2 Dozers: 1 Forest Masticators: 2 Helicopters: 1 Water Tender: 5 Crews: 2 CURRENT SITUATION Firefighters continue to hold, secure, and improve fire lines. They continue to search for, map and control sources of heat and mitigate safety concerns. The Midnight Fire did not see any additional growth yesterday; however, the burn is spotty and there are still interior fuel sources and heat. Good work and coordination continued along the contingency line as fire personnel work to implement plans for resource protection. PLANNED ACTIONS Firefighters will continue to hold, secure, and improve fire lines. They will continue to identify and control sources of heat and mitigate safety concerns. The work on the contingency line is important because one ember could provide a new ignition source. WEATHER AND FIRE BEHAVIOR The weather pattern is expected to continue through Wednesday with hot and dry conditions. Relative humidities remain in the low 20s, with moderate overnight recoveries. Winds are predicted to be light, and terrain driven. An afternoon thunderstorm could be possible. The expected fire behavior remains similar to what we have seen in the past few days. It is described as moderate with smoldering, single tree torching, and group torching. As temperatures increase with the heat of the day so will fire behavior. Air quality information:AirNow Interactive Map (epa.gov) CLOSURES AND SPECIAL MESSAGES There are currently no closures in place, but please use caution while enjoying your national forest. Firefighting traffic is expected to be heavy along FSR # 244 (Lighting Creek Road) and FSR# 284 (Elk City Wagon Road) between China Point and Lytle Cow Camp.  A charred Douglas Fir with green vegetation in the same fire area. This picture represents the varying behavior fire produces. Firefighters continue to identify any smoldering or burning materials as the landscape on the Midnight Fire has a variety of terrain and vegetative diversities. Incident Update Russell Fire The Russell Fire was contained last night at approximately 200 acres. The fire was burning near mile marker 217, East of HWY 95, South of Whitebird. Craig Mountain Forest Protective District has crews with 60 fire personnel engaged in mop up today. The cause of the Fire is under investigation. Fire officials remind citizens to never fly drones near wildfires. When your drone is in the air, our aircraft must be grounded, putting the lives of firefighters at risk. This is the final update. Salmon River Closed for Rafting InciWeb the Incident Information System (nwcg.gov)Elkhorn Fire Information McCall, Idaho - Update July 31 12:00p.m.: The Elkhorn fire in the Salmon River corridor has become extremely active and is expanding in size daily. As of today, July 31, 2023, there is no launching on the Permitted Salmon River Wilderness section from Corn Creek to Vinegar Creek through Wednesday, August 2, 2023. The Salmon-Challis National Forest who administers the river permit system is offering boaters affected by this closure a rollover option for next season on the same launch date. In order to allow people time to plan and prepare for their Salmon River trip, given the uncertainty of when the fire activity will allow for boaters to use the Permitted Salmon River in the near future, the Forest Service is offering rollovers to those with trips planned within five days of a closure date. We will continue to assess the fire activity and will allow boaters to launch as soon as possible. For Rollover information and other river information call the Salmon – Challis National Forest River Clerk at 208-756-5587 or 208-481-2625. For additional Elkhorn Fire Information: The Payette National Forest has a public wildfire information hotline for fire information – 208-634-0820 and follow the Payette National Forest on Twitter at @PayetteForest, and on Facebook at U.S. Forest Service – Payette National Forest. |
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