Ridge Creek Fire: crews buckle down during slow growth

Rain was a key supporter for the firefighters working on the Ridge Creek Fire.

Crews took advantage of rain, damp fuels, and relative humidity Wednesday to attack the flame with targeted resources, before temperatures are expected to increase later in the week.

“We are cautiously optimistic and we are making great progress in developing the fire lines that are out there,” said Brook Smith, public information officer for the Southern Area Incident Management Gold Team.

The Gold Team of 545 personnel replaced the Eastern Area Incident Management Team to battle the blaze located 3.5 miles east of the north tip of Hayden Lake, along the Hayden Creek Road.

“Across the fire we had an average of a quarter of an inch of rain with up to three quarters of an inch of rain,” Smith said. “The wettest sections were the west and southwest side of the fire. The driest was in the east. There was no fire activity [Tuesday] of any account. There might have been smoldering and smoking but there were no active flames and no fire movement.”

During that shift in momentum, firefighters were able to advance containment lines and make significant progress.

Throughout the day Wednesday the fire didn’t advance, but smoldered in place with heavy smoke, staying at 4,293 acres burned. The expectation is that containment will be higher in the reports released at 5 a.m. today.

“The fire behavior experts do not expect it to move or develop at all today,” Smith said. “The crews are getting after it taking advantage of the moisture and the lack of fire movement to advance control lines and really get a handle on the fire. Everybody is feeling good about things.”

Crews are in a race against warmer weather which could reactivate the smoldering logs into aggressive flames on difficult terrain, but crews continue to carve out fuel lines at the ridges.

But the team is not out of the woods yet.

“As the fuels dry across the week there may be an increase in fire activity,” Smith said. “But resources are on the ground working their way around the fire and tying fire lines in together.”

Containment lines along the southwestern side of the fire are strong, which should protect structures and residences in the area.

“If we put that line of black on there we know it’s secure, like 99%,” Smith said.

Evacuation status has been lifted for Hayden Lake Residents, but remains at level two, or get set, in the Bunco area according to the Office of Emergency Management. That will be reassessed in the coming days.

Air support is also still available to the crews, but because fire activity was minimal Tuesday and Wednesday, support wasn’t called in.

“We may have more missions as fire activity increases,” Smith said.

The Idaho Department of Lands has implemented Level II fire restrictions across the five northern counties so no campfires, smoking, welding blasting or operating motorized vehicles off of designated roads is allowed.

Forest Service Roads surrounding the fire area are also closed.

Buckskin 2 Fire

Almost half an inch of rain dropped onto the Buckskin 2 Fire in some areas, helping crews push containment to 75%.

“There continues to be no growth on the fire in several days, and the fire behavior is just a smoldering interior allowing crews and equipment to improve the direct line along the west flank of the fire,” Brian Hicks, Type 3 incident commander with the Idaho Panhandle National Forests, said.

Crews are continuing mop up operations while working to secure the fire’s edge. The fire remains 1.8 miles from the nearest structure, Hicks said.

Located eight miles south of Clark Fork, the fire has burned an estimated 242 acres. There are 68 personnel assigned to the fire with one engine, a water tender, two hand crews and two firefighter modules.

The fire’s cause is undetermined.

Stage II fire restrictions remain in effect in Bonner County as well as throughout North Idaho.