Wildfire near Cataldo suppressed

By CHANSE WATSON

Managing Editor

CATALDO — The Silver Valley was lucky to avoid large wildfires so far this summer, but a small blaze that the sprung up over the weekend near Cataldo seems to have ended that streak.

The WildCAD Interagency Dispatch Center shows that the fire was reported on Aug. 5 at 3:44 p.m. on Abbey Road (area of E. CCC road).

Firefighters from Shoshone County Fire District No. 2 were first to arrive on scene, then were backed up by crews from the Idaho Department of Lands — Cataldo, U.S. Forest Service, and District No. 1 not long after.

A team of 30 firefighters from these agencies worked to establish a line around the perimeter of the blaze with the help of three planes and one helicopter dropping water. Crews also utilized drones to pin-point where the fire was spreading to.

By the second day, a fire line had been established and the size of the team had diminished to 20 firefighters from IDL and USFS.

IDL assistant fire warden Chris Myers said that other than some steep terrain, the location of the fire near the Coeur d’Alene River assisted crews establish their fire line.

“The water is actually one of the lower flanks, so it saved some work for the folks out there.”

Being close to the river also allowed crews to have a handy source to pull water from.

As of Monday, the fire had burned approximately 3 acres and was 50 percent contained. Although the fire had not been declared 100 percent contained, Myers stated that he did not expect it to grow in size.

Despite rumors on social media stating that the fire was caused by an unattended camp fire, investigators have yet to determine a cause of ignition and are still investigating.

No major injuries or property damage (other than forest land) were incurred as a result of the incident.

With this and many other fires popping up in North Idaho, USFS reports that local land management agencies will implement Stage 1 Fire Restrictions on all lands within the Coeur d’Alene Dispatch area beginning at 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 9. Fire restrictions are intended to decrease the chance of any preventable fires in the designated areas.

Stage 1 fire restrictions will be in effect, until further notice, in the Coeur d’Alene Fire Restriction Area, which includes all tribal, state, federal, and private forestland and rangeland in Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai, Shoshone and Latah counties. This also includes public lands in Washington and Montana that are administered by the Idaho Panhandle National Forests.

These restrictions are being implemented by agencies managing or providing wildland fire protection in the area, including the Bureau of Land Management, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, Idaho Department of Lands, the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Lands managed by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game have been under Stage 1 fire restrictions since Aug. 2.

Under the Stage 1 Fire Restrictions, the following acts are prohibited on tribal, state and federally managed or protected lands, roads and trails:

- Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire, campfire or stove fire except within a designated recreation site in a permanent concrete or metal fire ring, or on their own land, and only within an owner-provided structure.

- Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle, building or designated recreation site, or while stopped in an area at least 3 feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials.

The following are exemptions to the Stage 1 Fire Restrictions:

- Firewood cutting restrictions are not in place at this time. Firewood cutters are reminded to comply with the fire precaution terms and conditions of their permit.

- Persons with a written permit that specifically authorizes the otherwise prohibited act.

- Persons using fire fueled solely by liquid petroleum or liquid petroleum gas (LPG) fuels. Such devices, including propane campfires, may be used only in an area cleared of flammable material.

- Private landowners using charcoal (disposed of properly) or propane barbecues on their own lands.

- Persons conducting activities in those designated areas where the activity is specifically authorized by written posted notice.

- Any federal, state or local officer or member of an organized rescue or firefighting force in the performance of an official duty.

- All land within a city boundary is exempted.

- Other exemptions unique to each agency.

With the extreme temperatures the region is experiencing, fire managers are asking the public to be extra cautious when spending time in the outdoors. As a reminder, fireworks are prohibited on state and private forestland and rangeland, and on public lands, roads and trails in Idaho during closed fire season (May 10 through Oct. 20). Possession and/or use of fireworks is always prohibited on federal public lands.

Please visit http://www.idahofireinfo.com/p/fire-restrictions.html for a detailed map and current information regarding fire restrictions or contact the local land management office.

The Shoshone County Fire Chiefs Association plans to have an announcement regarding local Stage 1 restrictions released toward the end of the week.