Crews makes strides on area fires

Crews made significant strides to bring the Bee Top Fire under control with containment estimated at 46%.

Significant strides also were made on the Consalus Fire where crews are making steady progress.

Bee Top Fire

Interagency Hotshot Crews fighting the Bee Top Fire completed a direct fireline around the fire's boundary. Crews also continue to mop up and secure the edge as they build a fireline to prevent rollout, a situation where burning materials roll down a slope past containment lines and starting fires as it goes.

Helicopters continue to cool the fire and extinguish hotspots with water drops, allowing firefighters to safely engage the fire, Idaho Panhandle National Forests officials said.

Chopper crews also are providing support to a mid-mountain firefighter camp, bringing gear, food and supplies. An unmanned aircraft system team was able to use infrared cameras to find hotspots along the fireline.

The Klamath, Plumas, and Mad River IHC crews are continuing efforts to secure the fire's edge and mop up any interior hotspots. An initial attack crew spent part of Saturday backhauling hose off Bee Top Mountain and used a mechanical chipper to clear brush cut for the indirect fireline into a fine woody debris.

Helicopter crews will continue to drop water on the fire, both to cool the fire but also to give crews better access to the perimeter.

Reported July 1, the lightning-sparked fire has burned 49 acres and is listed at 46% contained. A total of 124 fire personnel are assigned to the fire as are two engines, three helicopters and three hand crews. Firefighting efforts are being managed by Northern Rockies Incident Management Team 9 led by Shane Martin.

Consalus Fire

Strategic firing on the Consalus Fire held overnight as firefighters continued similar operations along the fire's northwestern edge. Strategic firing operations involved the controlled use of low-intensity fire to reduce the amount of fuels, and create depth between the firelines and unburned fuels. The end result, officials said, is increased containment.

"Progress was steady but slow as they worked in steep terrain with heavy fuels," IPNF officials said.

On the fire's east side, the Flathead IHC finished laying hose in the handline built into the Consalus Creek drainage, IPNF officials said.

Their efforts were completed by a dozer that worked off the ridge to tie into the handline. Equipment operators completed an indirect line down the west side, and crews have almost completed a handline and laying hose as they go en route.

Fallers are cutting dead trees ahead of firefighters working on a direct handline around the fire. In addition, heavy equipment operators continue to open roads, improve current roads and build new ones as additional routes are identified.

"Fire managers are close to figuring out where the lines will connect from the east and west on the south side," officials said. "After that, they will look for additional areas to construct lines closer to the fire to keep the fire footprint as small as possible."

Reported June 30, the Consalus Fire has burned 314 acres and is 10% contained. A total of 265 fire personnel are assigned to the fire, located 10 miles west of Coolin in Pend Oreille County, Wash. There are two engines, a helicopter, eight-plus hand crews, and five faller modules, four water tenders and an ambulance crew assigned to the fire as well as an assortment of heavy equipment.

Firefighting efforts are being managed by Northern Rockies Type 3 Incident Management Team led by John Heyn.

Road and trail closures

• Bee Top Fire

There are no closures listed.

• Consalus Fire

Several road closures went into effect at midnight Thursday, July 13. Forest Service Road 1108 is closed from the junction with FSR 333 to the junction with FSR 659. FSR 1094 will remain open for the first 4.5 miles from the junction with FSR 312, however, the remainder will be closed to the junction with FSR 1108. The public is asked to avoid the following roads: the section of FSR 1094 not closed; FSR 312 (from the junction with FSR 333 to the junction with FSR 659); FSR 659 in its entirety; and FSR 333 (from Highway 57 to the junction with FSR 1108).

Those accessing the Crystal Mine area off FSR 659 may need to pull over to allow heavy equipment and fire crews to access the area.

There is a temporary flight restriction over the fire area. Flying civilian drones is prohibited and could ground firefighting crews.

Information: inciweb.nwcg.gov