Crews make strides on Trestle 6 fire
Trestle Fire 6 — the largest fire in the Trestle Creek Complex fires — is causing road and trail closures in the area north of Hope.
Courtesy photo – U.S. Forest Service
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HOPE — The last and largest of the Trestle Creek Complex fires is beginning to yield to firefighter efforts.
TCC 6 is 37% contained as of Tuesday afternoon. The 470-acre fire seven miles north of Hope has been the most difficult for firefighters to counter due to steep terrain and lack of access to the blaze. Started by a lightning storm on July 7, the fire is the last to be contained of the six sparked by the storm.
Trestle fires 1, 2, 3, and 5 were the greatest threat to the Hope area. Even though they are contained, crews continue to monitor the fires according to a press release from the U.S. Forest Service. Firefighting efforts have turned to Trestle 6 with no evacuation orders at this time. Firefighters are using a “confine and contain” effort for battling the fire. The strategy allows the fire to “come to features like roads, streams, and ridges where there are better and safer opportunities for successfully holding a line,” according to the officials in the press release.
Due to their proximity to the fire, a loop of road closures beginning on Forest Service Road 275, north of Huckleberry Campground, leading to National Forest Road 419, to the junction with National Forest Road 489, and concluding on National Forest Road 275.
Area trails 57, 526, 55, and 120 located between National Forest roads 275 and 489 are also closed due to their proximity to the fire.
With forecasts predicting temperatures reaching into the 90s this week, extreme fire danger with Stage II restrictions remain in place for Bonner County, Forest Service officials said.
For up-to-date incident information regarding fire activity and road closures, go online to inciweb.nwcg.gov, an incident management clearinghouse website.