Parker Ridge firelines holding

SANDPOINT — Crews held the Parker Ridge Fire to about 6,147 acres Monday night. The blaze is still 0 percent contained.

Crews are shoring up the “corners” of the fire, near Long Canyon and Parker Creek. They are constructing hand and dozer lines, and are currently burring “fuel pockets” in the fire interior, Kary Maddox, fire information officer, said.

Monitoring, reassessing strategies, and looking for vantage points to engage the fire are in Tuesday’s plans, Maddox said in a press release. There is no end in sight for the fire as weather has been hot, she added.

“We need some weather on our side. There’s none in the forecast, which is unfortunate,” Maddox said. “These natural disasters are unpredictable.”

There are still 125 personnel working the fire, a number that was increased by 22 on Monday. Still assigned to the fire are one heavy and one light helicopter for bucket drops. The fire was started by a lightning strike July 27, with the first report July 29.

Maddox said they will have an informational booth at the Boundary County Fair, Wednesday-Saturday, for people with questions about the fire activity in the area.

Westside Road is open to local traffic only, and closures include Parker Ridge Trail No. 221, Fisher Peak Trail No. 14, Long Canyon Trail No. 16 and associated dispersed camping.

The Clark Fork Complex fires include the Scotchman Peak and Whitetail fires. According to InciWeb, the fire tracking website, the Scotchman Peak Fire is about 2,700 acres and includes multiple spot fires. The fire started Thursday, northeast of Clark Fork in the Sandpoint Ranger District.

The fire is burning in the Blue Creek drainage. No evacuations are in effect currently, however closures include Scotchman’s Peak Trail No. 65, Goat Mountain No. 135, Regal No. 556, Morris No. 132, East Fork System No. 1184, No. 563, No. 1030 and No. 212.

The Whitetail Fire is south of Clark Fork in the Coeur d’Alene Ranger District. InciWeb said the fire is creeping along torching isolated single trees and burning the southeast flank of the peak in the Deer Creek area.

Closures include Forest Roads No. 430, No. 332, No. 332A, No. 203, No. 203A, No. 203B, No. 203E and No. 1533, Forest Trails No. 20, No. 52, No. 448, No. 77 and No. 122.

A red flag warning has been issued in Boundary County, as well as in the northern and central Idaho panhandle from Thursday at 11 a.m. to Friday at 5 p.m.

Dry and unstable conditions are forecasted in the region on Wednesday, and breezy conditions could develop Wednesday evening in the Cascade Gaps and spread through the region on Thursday. A coldfront is also expected with a change of thunderstorms over the northern mountains. Wind gusts can be up to 30 miles per hour on Friday.  

Stage 2 fire restrictions are in effect in Idaho, meaning no fires of any kind are allowed. According to the Idaho Panhandle National Forest, no fires or use of charcoal is allowed. Smoking is prohibited outside of a vehicle or building. Cross country travel for off road use is closed and chainsaws and other equipment are prohibited from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m., followed by a one-hour patrol after stopping the operation of a chainsaw, or equipment powered by an internal combustion engine.

Smoke may also be visible in the area from the Tower Fire, burning about 7,743 acres near the Washington and Idaho border. The fire is 1 percent contained. The fire is on the Colville and Idaho Panhandle National Forests.

The fire grew east and southeast Monday, and aircraft and crews secured the west side of the fire. Crews worked Tuesday along the south and west flanks to establish a solid anchor, InciWeb said.

The fire started in the Colville National Forest, however, smoke is visible from Priest Lake. A public meeting on the Tower Fire will be held Wednesday, Aug. 19 at 7 p.m. at Priest Lake Elementary School.