Gleason fire no threat

PRIEST LAKE — The Gleason fire is no threat to manmade structures at present, said Jill Cobb, fire spokesman for the Priest Lake Ranger District of Idaho Panhandle National Forests this week.

The fire began due to lightning on July 15 is currently 50 acres in size, with 12 personnel and one helicopter working on it, said Cobb.

Cobb reported that warmer weather and winds caused the fire to double from 25 acres to about 50 acres Aug. 28-29. It is currently burning in a north-south direction and is not threatening to any structures, she explained.

The current strategy is to confine and contain the fire until it crosses a “trigger point,” at which time Cobb said “plans are in place to take action.”

Cobb said “firefighters will continue to ground truth the fire to assess for changes of the fire perimeter. A helicopter is currently pre-positioned on the Nordman Airstrip to work on any fires in the northern zone of the Idaho Panhandle National Forests.”

She said that smoke columns from the fire are visible from Priest Lake and U.S. Highway 57.

The columns are all from one fire, she added.

Cooler and wetter weather is forecasted for this weekend.