Fire continues its slow burn

PRIEST LAKE — As predicted by the fire managers, the Gleason Mountain fire continues to burn slowly in a small bowl south of the mountain. Since it began on July 15, the fire has grown to just over 150 acres.

The fire is located in a remote location in the Upper West Branch headwaters and there are no structures at risk, said Jill Cobb, fire public information officer for the Priest Lake Ranger District on the Idaho Panhandle National Forests.

About 10 personnel have been assigned to the fire, which is being fueled by a mix of shrubs and dead/dying lodge pole pine trees.

“As we go into fall, we expect the typical Indian summer-like weather which includes sunny skies and very cool nights,” Cobb said. “The sunny skies allow the fire to burn, and the cool evenings settle the fire down.”

Cobb said the fire has been burning for almost nine weeks and has grown only minimally. Until the snows fall, fire managers expect that the fire will continue to slowly burn through the dead/dying timber and decadent brush fields, she said in a press release.

“The burning is creating good wildlife forage as well as an effective fuel break for future fires,” she said.

Smoke from the Gleason fire will continue to be visible from the lake and Highway 57.

The strategy for the Gleason Fire is unchanged and the plan remains to confine and contain the fire, Cobb said. Firefighters will continue to monitor and assess the fire to determine any further actions. The fire has not crossed the pre-determined “trigger points,” which would facilitate additional actions.

Because the fire is very close to Trail 162 south of Gleason Mountain, about a mile-long section of the trail is closed. The trail closure begins in the south at the junction of Trail 162 and Trail 231 and extends to the north at the top of Gleason Mountain.