Crews battle Cocolalla wildland fire
COCOLALLA — A wildland fire burned several acres Saturday and briefly threatened several homes in the area before crews brought it under control.
The fire was reported as a one-acre grass fire between 10 and 11 a.m. but spread toward nearby trees and several structures in the 1700 block of Fish Creek Road, said Bob Howard, Bonner County’s director of emergency management.
Howard said the fire, which burned an estimated three to six acres, was brought under control by 3 p.m.
Area residents began fighting the fire after reporting it and kept it from getting close to several nearby homes, giving crews from local fire departments time to respond. In addition, several air support aircraft responded to drop fire retardant.
“We were able to keep the fire away from the structures and keep them from catching on fire,” Howard said.
After the fire was brought under control, firefighting efforts were turned over to an Idaho Department of Lands hotshot crew. The IDL firefighters are expected to stay at the scene through Sunday night to keep watch on the fire and mop up any remaining hot spots.
In addition, Selkirk Fire Rescue & EMS, Westside, Northside, Timberlake, and West Pend Oreille fire departments, and U.S. Forest Service responded to the fire.
There were no injuries and no evacuation notices or warnings were issued, Howard said. Crews did close Fish Creek Road for a period to allow better access by fire crews.
Howard praised the response by the fire crews for quickly knocking down the fire.
“We have excellent firefighters, both structure and wildland, protecting folks,” he said. “They did a great job.”
The fire is the latest wildland fire to be reported in Bonner and Boundary counties in recent weeks.
In Boundary County, the Parker Ridge Fire — about seven miles southwest of Porthill — has burned about 70 acres in steep, rugged terrain.
The fire is 0 percent contained and is threatening no structures. Three large air tankers and four single engine air tankers are assisting in fighting the lightning-caused fire.
The fire is burning along a ridge in a large stand of beetle–killed lodgepole pine and standing snags as well as numerous downed logs, according to Coeur d’Alene Interagency Dispatch Center website.
The strategy is full suppression with aviation resources at this time due to the steep, inaccessible terrain and the high amount of snags which pose a significant risk to firefighter safety.
The Parker Ridge Trail has been closed due to the fire and to ensure public safety.
The Bakers Camp Fire, which has been burning since it was started by lightning June 29, is 90 percent contained and has burned 49 acres. An infrared detection flight was planned for Saturday and it is anticipated that the fire will be declared controlled in the near future.
Local fire crews are patrolling the area on a regular basis.
Stage II fire restrictions are in place on both the Bakers Camp and Parker Ridge fires.