Idaho 2004

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DONNELLY, Idaho (AP) - Idaho's first major forest fire of the
season spread in the Boise National Forest on Thursday as
additional crews and aircraft were brought in to help battle the
blaze.
The Dollar Fire was burning on 350 acres of steep, heavily
timbered roadless country about 13 miles east of Donnelly in
west-central Idaho, Forest Service spokesman David Olson said.
Crews constructed an anchor point on the fire's western flank to
begin constructing fire lines. The blaze is moving in a
northeasterly direction and has reached the 2002 Big Guy fire burn.
Olson described the type of fuel as "particularly nasty"
sub-alpine fir - tall, skinny coniferous trees with limbs that go
all the way to the bottom.
"When fire hits it, it tends to torch and send embers out up to
half a mile," starting spot fires ahead of the main line, he said.
There are also has a tremendous number of dead standing snags,
which are a hazard to firefighters on the ground, Olson said.
The fire was burning on a ridge in remote country above the
South Fork of the Salmon River in the Needles Peak area.
"Add to that the steep terrain, and this has the potential to
be a big one."
Since the area is so steep, crews took 2½ hours to hike to the
fire. A priority is building flat places for helicopters to land
with firefighters and equipment.
About 200 firefighters were initially dispatched and 120 more
were called in.
Two helicopters and six air tankers also worked the blaze,
including a heavy tanker from Hill Air Force Base in Utah.

(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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SALMON, Idaho (AP) - The Cabin Creek fire north of Salmon had
blackened 768 acres by late Monday as about 300 firefighters worked
to rein in the blaze while the weather cooperated.
The fire, burning in the Salmon Challis National Forest roughly
8 miles west of North Fork, was burning in timber, brush and grass,
fire managers said. Cloud cover, high humidity and rain over the
weekend helped slow the fire's spread.
"Conditions have been really awesome for firefighting," said
Murray Shoemaker, an East Great Basin Fire Information Officer.
"We've got a good chance to catch this thing before it spreads
some more."
Crews had contained 64 percent of the blaze. A Monday night
flight over the fire revised the size to 768 acres. It earlier had
been estimated at 600 acres.
Residents living on Indian Creek road were still on an
evacuation alert, but Shoemaker said some people had returned to
their homes since the warning was issued Friday.
Fire managers expect to have the blaze contained by Thursday.
The Dollar fire, burning in the Boise National Forest about 16
miles northeast of Cascade, was slowed over the weekend as it moved
into an area that had burned in previous fire seasons.
A half-inch of rain early Monday helped more than 500 crew
members build a fire line at the leading edge and the 782-acre
blaze was expected to be contained by Wednesday, with full control
on Thursday, officials said. Firefighting efforts on the Dollar
fire have cost an estimated $1.1 million so far.

(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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BOISE, Idaho (AP) - Rainy weather gave fire crews a chance to
increase their control over both the Dollar and the Cabin Creek
fires Tuesday.
Fire managers said that 520 firefighters battling the Dollar
fire, about 16 miles northeast of Cascade in the Boise National
Forest, took advantage of the wet and cloudy weather to clear
direct attack fire lines.
The fire was holding steady at 782 acres and was about 75
percent contained, officials said. The fire is expected to be
completely contained by Wednesday.
Even more progress was made on the Cabin Creek fire in the
Salmon Challis National Forest, where crews saw only minimal fire
activity. They had the 783-acre blaze an estimated 80 percent
contained, managers said. That fire, eight miles west of North
Fork, is expected to be contained by Thursday.

(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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Officials investigating why firefighters had to flee Idaho
wildfire
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SALMON, Idaho (AP) - Officials are investigating why 20
firefighters had to abandon gear and flee rising flames while
working the Cabin Creek fire, which was fully contained Wednesday.
The fire burned 783 acres in the Salmon Challis National Forest
about 8 miles west of North Fork. Two helicopters and 285
firefighters battled the blaze, at an estimated cost of $912,000,
National Interagency Fire Center officials said.
Firefighters were aided by rainy weather over the past few days,
officials said, including three-quarters of an inch on Monday.
But Friday, the fire was behaving erratically and a 20-person
crew that was digging a fire line on a steep slope was forced to
make a dash to a previously identified safety zone uphill. Some
firefighters shed gear as they ran up the mountain.
An after-action review team, including fire experts from the
Ashley National Forest in Utah and the Beaverhead-Deerlodge
National Forest in Montana, has been called in to investigate the
incident.
Acting Forest Supervisor Renee Snyder said the review was not a
reaction to increased scrutiny following last year's deaths of two
firefighters on the Cramer fire. Salmon-Challis National Forest
officials have been blasted in three separate investigations for
failing to follow basic safety rules during that blaze.
The crew fighting the Cabin Creek fire had a variety of
experience levels, she said, and for some members, it was their
first real fire.
"Because of the reaction of the crew - some folks were upset -
we wanted an objective review of what happened," Snyder said.
Fred Batley, a Forest Service dispatcher, said crew members told
him that eight sets of fire line gear and a chain saw were burned
after being discarded.
Snyder said that would be consistent with good firefighting
rules.
"In tough country, that's what your training teaches you. You
drop packs and lose some weight so you can make better time," she
said.
The review team is expected to make preliminary recommendations
to forest managers on Thursday.
Snyder said initial reports indicate fire line supervisors did
their job.
"We had some very highly experienced folks who were able to
help keep the crew together and get them moving to the safety zone.
Everybody came out safely at the end," she said.

(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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SMITHS FERRY, Idaho (AP) - Scores of firefighters fanned out
along the north and east flanks of the Canyon Fire in north-central
Idaho on Monday, digging in line that fire bosses believe will
contain the blaze in another day.
The fire, smoldering since a July 19 lightning strike before it
erupted on Saturday to cover 160 acres of private timber land just
south of Smiths Ferry, was already 50 percent contained.
Crews from the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and the
Southern Idaho Timber Protection Association took advantage of
slightly cooler temperatures to make as much of an advance on the
flames as possible ahead of predicted afternoon thunderstorms and
potentially high winds.
Full containment was expected Tuesday evening.
No buildings were threatened, and officials said traffic was
continuing to move freely on Idaho Highway 55 near the fire area,
despite thick smoke during the early morning hours.
Firefighters were mopping up hotspots on the western and
southern flanks of the fire, running hose as much as a quarter mile
to get water into the area. Three helicopters dropping from 500 to
800 gallons of water a trip pelted flare-ups along the fire's
perimeter.
It was only the fourth significant fire the state has suffered
so far this summer. Experts say recent rainfall and lower than
usual temperatures have kept fire potential lower than originally
expected. But they also said precipitation remains far short of the
level needed to end the drought that is midway through its fifth
year.
They also credited the heightened awareness among the public of
fire danger with limiting the number of starts.
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On the Net:
http://www.id.blm.gov/boisedispatch

(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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SALMON, Idaho (AP) - More than 200 firefighters battled a
lightning-caused wildfire in eastern Idaho on Wednesday, trying to
maintain the advantage they gained earlier in the week under some
rain and higher humidity.
"We've had some pretty favorable weather," Salmon-Challis
National Forest spokeswoman Gail Baer said.
The Corn Fire was burning on about 180 acres of dead and downed
timber and some grass and shrubs on the north bank of Corn Creek
about 37 miles northwest of Salmon.
Water-dropping helicopters were backing up crews on the fire
line, and fire bosses believed the blaze, now 10 percent contained,
could be fully contained by Friday.
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On the Net:
Salmon-Challis National Forest fire information:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/sc/fire/2004/04index.shtml