9/1/2015 Kaniksu Complex Update

Kaniksu Complex—Tower Fire

Idaho Panhandle and Colville National Forests and Washington DNR Alaska Incident Mgt. Team — Tom Kurth, Incident Cmdr. September 1, 2015, 6:00 a.m.

For Immediate Release       Pete Buist, 907-750-1639                                                     Jill Cobb, 208-443-6835 (msg)

Kaniksu Complex: The Tower Fire, along with six smaller fires, is all part of the Kaniksu Complex. The total acreage of all fires in the complex is 25,444 acres, 22 percent contained. Firefighters are patrolling the smaller fires but the majority of firefighting resources are assigned to the Tower Fire.

•     Baldy Fire:  located 16 miles north of Ione, Wash. (515 acres, 95% containment)

•     Onata Fire:  located about 8 eight miles east/southeast of Ione (540 acres, 39% containment)

•     Hall Mountain Fire:  located on Hall Mountain (46 acres)

•     Grease Creek Fire:  located south of Hall Mountain (615 acres)

•     Slate Creek (1 acre) and South Fork Slate Creek Trail (125 acres):  located near the northwest boundary of Salmo-Priest Wilderness

Current Resources: The number of firefighters is 761. Equipment includes: 16 crews, 12 dozers, 23 engines, 9 water tenders, 1 Air Attack, 1 skidgen, 2 helicopters and 3 Blackhawks for medical transport.

Tower Fire:

Size: 24,021 acres                                           Containment: 13 %

Strategy: Full Suppression                             Situation: Lightning, started Aug. 11

Location: 17 mi. north of Newport, Wash. and 6 mi. west of Priest Lake, Idaho

Update: The cooler weather with higher humidity that followed Sunday’s rainfall led to minimal fire behavior on the Kaniksu Complex’s seven fires Monday. Firefighters used these favorable conditions to secure, extend and mop up firelines.

On the Tower Fire, firefighters were able to secure existing fireline and construct new line directly along the fire’s edge, particularly on the eastern and western flanks of the fire. Better weather also allowed fire managers to observe and map the northern edge of the fire, including two spot fires near Fourth of July

Peak. The increased acreage for the fire is due to better mapping of this area, where Saturday’s winds pushed the fire northward approximately three miles. Preparations have begun to extend fireline around this part of the fire.

Crews also made significant progress in constructing fireline and mopping up a 15-acre slop-over on the northern edge of the Onata Creek Fire. Due to their success, fire managers plan on reassigning some crews from this fire to the Grease Creek Fire, where firefighters prepared an anchor point from which to start construction of containment line. They also improved road access and began construction of a helispot to support additional resources that will be assigned to the fire.

The Hall Mountain Fire showed minimal growth on the high rocky ridges above Sullivan Lake.

•  The Priest Lake, Idaho, area and Highway 57 are open to all traffic. All businesses along with federal and state campgrounds at Priest Lake are open.

•  There are no mandatory evacuation orders for these fires. If an evacuation order were issued, it would be called a Level 3 Evacuation, which means it is time to go.

•  The Big Meadow/Squaw Valley area was reduced to a Level 1 Evacuation Alert Sunday afternoon, Aug. 30. In Level 1, residents should be ready to leave and should monitor emergency services. Those with special needs, pets, livestock or that need transportation assistance should take early precautionary movement to relocate.

•  A Level 1 Evacuation Alert remains in place for the north Hwy 57 corridor that includes the

Nordman area and the west side of Priest Lake.

•  A Level 1 Evacuation Alert remains for the Bear Paw area and the south Hwy 57 corridor from Priest River north to Dickensheet Road. This alert includes the west side of Priest Lake. The Level 1 Evacuation for Hwy 57 has been issued because fire managers are aware that Hwy 57 is the main route south from the Priest Lake community. It is not because of imminent fire danger to the area.

•  A Level 1 Evacuation Alert is still in effect for two central Pend Oreille County, Wash, areas: the Best Chance residential area and a corridor on the east side of the Pend Oreille River, starting at the intersection of Le Clerc Creek Road and North Le Clerc Road south to a half mile south of the Usk bridge.

For more information, including closures in the area check: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4508/