NEWS RELEASE

Salmon Interagency Dispatch Upper Columbia - Salmon Clearwater District BLM Salmon - Challis National Forest Rural Route 2, Box 600 Salmon, Idaho 83467

For immediate release

Contact: Salmon-Challis Fire Information Center (208) 756-5283

Fire and Closure Update – 23 August 2000, 8:00 AM

A public meeting will be held tonight at the Challis Middle School at 7:00. Salmon-Challis National Forest officials and fire managers will provide the latest information on the Rankin Fire, Morse Fire, and other fire activity in the region. Everyone is invited.

Area /Road Closures and Restrictions

§ Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness: The entire wilderness, including the Main Salmon River and the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, is closed. (The Main Salmon River is closed from Cache Bar to Carey Creek). All trails and all Forest Service landing strips are closed; private landing strips are not affected by this closure. River permit holders should contact the North Fork Ranger District to obtain a permit for the same date next year.

This closure is in effect until the fire situation changes with a season-ending weather event. This could occur as early as September or as late as October. It is prompted by safety concerns such as extreme fire behavior (300-400 foot flame lengths), very limited access, debris on trails, and thick smoke that would complicate search-and-rescue operations.

§ A Stage III Fire Restriction Order is in effect. It prohibits “setting, building maintaining, attending, or using a fire of any kind, either open flame, smoldering, or any other heat source,” on the Salmon-Challis National Forest. It differs from the Stage II Fire Restriction implemented earlier this month only in that it forbids all fires, not just those outside developed areas.

In addition to banning all fires, it prohibits smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building; operating motorized vehicles off designated roads and trails; operating a chainsaw, generator, or any other type of machine activated by a nonliving power source (except battery-powered devices) between 1:00 PM and 1:00 AM; and conducting blasting, welding, or other activities which generate flame or flammable material, between 1:00 PM and 1:00 AM. This restriction also applies to the Boise, Caribou, Payette, Sawtooth, and Targhee National Forests.

§ BLM: Open fires are prohibited on BLM-administered lands in the Salmon-Challis area.

§ Highway 93: The highway is open. The highway may be closed any time fire activity makes travel unsafe. Motorist are advised to call toll-free 800-226-ROAD (7623) for current status.

§ Yankee Fork Road (FS #013): The road running north from Sunbeam at Highway 75 closed. The closure includes most of the Custer Motorway to Mill Creek Campground, about 14 miles from Challis (Forest Roads #013 and #070). The Mill Creek campground will remain open.

§ Forest Road #172: The road is closed between the Yankee Fork Dredge and Loon Creek Guard Station. (It begins at the Yankee Fork Dredge, travels up the Jordan Creek drainage to Loon Creek summit, and into the Loon Creek drainage.) Call the Challis Ranger District at 208-879-4321 for current road closure information.

§ Morse Creek Road (FS #094) is closed.

§ Morgan Creek Road (FS #055) is closed at Morgan Creek Summit.

§ Silver Creek Road (FS#108) is closed.

§ Custer Historical Park is closed due to proximity to the Rankin Creek Fire.

Fires

Fire activity in Hughes Creek relates to Hughes Creek, Montana, not Hughes Creek, Idaho.

Media representatives are required to contact Salmon-Challis Fire Information at 1-208-756-5283 to arrange for escorts into fire areas. Media representatives must bring their own boots for fireline visits. Boots must be leather, lace-up type, 8 inches in height.

Clear Creek Fire

Acreage: 171,505 acres Injuries: None

Percentage Contained: 36% Estimated Date of Full Containment: Unknown

Resources: 1645 people, 16 helicopters, 58 engines, 14 dozers.

A Red Flag Warning is in effect for the fire area today. Strong, possibly erratic winds are expected.

Current Situation: Active fire behavior was observed again yesterday with spotting and torching along the south and eastern flanks of the fire. Fireline held along Pine Gulch, Napias Creek, and Panther Creek. Low relative humidity and northwest winds are increasing the difficulty of controlling fire west of Panther Creek.

Today crews continue burnout operations along Panther Creek on the southeast flank of the fire. Firefighters are also reducing fuels around structures in the towns of North Fork and Gibbonsville. Structure protection work is underway in Castle Creek, Silver Creek, Ramshorn, and Meyer’s Cove.

The Clear Creek team has now assumed control of the Aparejo fire, burning about 7 miles southwest of the Clear Creek Fire. Its current acreage is 10,457 acres. It started in the Frank Church – River of No Return Wilderness. Yesterday the fire made a 1¼ mile run. Last night crews conducted major burnout operations along the Panther Creek Road from Yellow Jacket Creek Road to Silver Creek Road to hold the fire west of Panther Creek.

Rankin Creek Fire

Acreage: 6,700 acres Injuries: 2

Percentage Contained: 80% Estimated Date of Full Containment: Unknown

Resources: 581 people, 22 engines, 3 dozers, 2 helicopters. The Challis and Stanley Volunteer Fire Departments are cooperating agencies.

Location: 25 air miles southwest of Challis

Current Situation: There was no significant increase in acreage yesterday. Even with hot and dry weather firefighters were able to get containment lines around 80% of the fire (up from 75% from the day before). With lots of helicopter bucket work to cool the leading edge of the fire, crews were able to flank the head of the fire just north of Bonanza Peak in the Adair Creek drainage.

Engine crews mopped up spot fires in the Fourth of July Creek drainage and will continue to patrol that area today to make sure there are no additional spots. On the west side of Yankee Fork River, crews were able to complete mopping up within 300 feet of the line.

Today crews will continue to protect historic structures at Bonanza and Custer with sprinkler systems. They will remove hazardous fuels in the Bonanza, Custer, and Lucky Boy mine areas.

Weather today is expected to be warmer with a chance of dry lightning storms late afternoon or evening. There is no major rainfall in sight and with the warmer temperatures, low fuel moistures, and unstable air we are again seeing increased potential for extreme fire behavior today.

Morse Creek Fire

Acreage: 2,725 acres Injuries: None

Percentage Contained: 11% Estimated Date of Full Containment: Unknown

Resources: 70 people, 1 dozer, 3 engines.

Location: Pahsimeroi Valley

Current Situation: Active burning occurred in Tater Creek. In parts of Cold Creek, hot spots are burning out and cooling down.

All efforts were directed toward containing the fire in the head of Cold Creek. The fire was poised to move across a saddle into Bray Creek on the east side of the main ridge, but was contained with helitack and a handcrew.

Wilderness Fires

Acreage: 94,200 acres Location: Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness

Percentage Contained: 0% Estimated Date of Full Containment: Unknown

Resources: 27 people, 1 engine Injuries: One

Current Situation: A fire weather watch for low relative humidities for the Frank Church – River of No Return Wilderness has been issued for today.

Yesterday, the severe inversion of the previous day lifted somewhat during the morning and allowed a better view of the fire. Visual observations suggest that the fire may spread in the direction of the Indian Creek Guard Station and the Pistol Creek Ranch.

Yesterday’s improved aerial reconnaissance resulted in a minor correction of the total acreage of these fires from 96,000 to 94,200.

Most private resorts along the Middle Fork and Main Salmon River are unoccupied. Structural protection

is in place at several locations including Salmon River Lodge, Stubb Creek, Gattin Ranch, Bernard Creek Guard Station, Mormon Ranch, and Flying B Ranch.

Marlin Springs Fire

Acreage: 1000 acres Injuries: None

Percentage Contained: 0 Estimated Date of Full Containment: Unknown

Location: Northwest of Indianola at the head of Squaw Creek (about 13 miles northwest of North Fork)

Resources: A Type I team has been ordered.

Current Situation: Yesterday the fire expanded slightly to the southwest. Fire behavior was moderate and there was not much increase in acreage.

Other Important Information

For detailed information about the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, call 208-879-4101.

For detailed information on the Main Salmon River, call 208-865-2700 during weekday office hours.

For information on hunting permits in the fire area, contact Idaho Fish and Game at 208-756-2271.

Clear Creek Fire updates will be distributed as information becomes available.

Fire maps are available at the Salmon-Challis National Forest office on Highway 93 south of Salmon. For

more fire information please call 208-756-5283 or log on to the Salmon-Challis National Forest website

at www.fs.fed.us/r4/sc/fire2000.

Smoke Information

Today the smoke level in Salmon is expected to be moderate.

In Challis it may be high enough to be unhealthy for children, the elderly, and people with respiratory or heart disease; these people should limit prolonged exertion.

In North Fork and Gibbonsville, smoke conditions are expected to be very unhealthy. People with heart disease, and the elderly, should avoid any outdoor activity. Everyone else should avoid prolonged exertion.

Common Sense Measures to Protect Your Health in a Smoky Environment

Stay inside.

Avoid strenuous outdoor exercise.

Drink lots of fluids.

Cover the air conditioner with a filter.

When using a fan, keep the windows closed so that the fan does not circulate smoky air.

The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality has installed equipment in Salmon to monitor air quality. They will issue current advisories on health hazards related to smoke, and recommended actions to protect your health. For more information, call Glenn Hugunin at 756-2122 from 8 AM to 5 PM.

Fire Prevention

A burn ban is in effect for the City of Salmon. It applies to open burning, burn barrels, and patio fireplaces. Similar restrictions are being considered for the county. Assistant Fire Chief Mike Warner urges county residents to refrain from any open burning. Extra care should be taken with cutting and welding.

Ways to reduce fire threats around your property: Create a defensible space around your property: A defensible space is that area around a house where vegetation has been modified to reduce wildfire threat and allow firefighters to effectively defend the house. One important step in creating defensible space is to remove all standing dead trees within the area. Also remove all down dead trees if they have recently fallen and are not yet embedded in the ground. Downed trees that are embedded into soil and cannot be removed without soil disturbance should be left in place. Remove all exposed branches from an embedded downed tree. For more information on ways to reduce fire threats around your property, contact 756-3025 or 756-8554.

Fire Facts

The total suppression cost of the Clear Creek, Rankin, Morse and Butts Fires is estimated at almost $41,900,000 as of yesterday.