Fire crews douse multiple blazes in north Lincoln Co.
According to Kootenai National Forest Public Affairs Officer Larona Rebo, there were four fires on the Rexford/Fortine Ranger District last week, including three on April 6 and one on April 11. They ranged in size from half an acre to seven acres.
"All occurred on private land, largely grass fires," Rebo said in an email. "All fires were handled, controlled, returned to the landowner and reported as out the same day they were reported."
The April 6 fires were named Berger, Burke and Alder while the April 11 fire was Fortine Creek. Also, the April 15 Salish Spring Fire reached 10 acres.
District Ranger Seth Carbonari said wind led to the fires getting away from the homeowners. But volunteer fire departments from Eureka and Trego-Fortine-Stryker joined U.S. Forest Service crews to put out the fires. The Eureka VFD worked the Berger, Burke and Alder fires as well as Fortine Creek. The Trego Fortine Stryker VFD worked the Salish Spring blaze with federal crews.
"We're happy to have the partnerships we do with our local volunteer departments," Carbonari said. "Sunday, April 6, we had three fires, so it's easy to get spread pretty thin and the more crews involved, the better."
Carbonari asked residents burning brush or grass to be thoughtful about the weather and be prepared to have a way to control the fire, whether it's water or tools.
Fortunately, a weather pattern brought rain and snow to Northwest Montana Wednesday. But sunny and warm weather was supposed to return to the region on Thursday through Saturday. A chance of rain is called for on Easter Sunday and Monday.
Fire Adapted Kootenai also provided considerable information to help those planning controlled burns. For more information, go to https://www.fireadaptedkootenai.org/. — Do not burn during dry, windy weather when vegetation in the vicinity is dry and fire-prone. Gusty winds and changes in wind direction often accompany the passage of weather fronts. Thunderstorms may also generate strong gusts and downdrafts. Light your burn only when you have a favorable weather forecast and safe burning conditions. Check your local weather forecast at noaa.gov. — Ignition of burns may only occur during daylight hours. — Fires should be attended until completely out. Be prepared to put your fire out if it becomes difficult to manage. — Fires are not out until cold to the touch with no flame or smoke. — Enough tools, water, equipment, and people should be available to extinguish your fire if unexpected changes in fire behavior occur. — Call 911 immediately if your fire does burn out of control. — Debris burning generates smoke which may create or contribute to poor air quality. For some individuals, smoke is merely a nuisance, but for others, smoke is a dangerous pollutant triggering serious respiratory problems. The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) regulates smoke emissions from open burning to prevent and/or reduce air quality impacts. — Fires must be completely extinguished if any emission from the fire is detrimental to the health, safety, or welfare of any person; if it causes damage to property or business; or if it causes a nuisance to others. — Air Quality compliance is required for every burn. For burn locations located within the Libby Outdoor Burning Control Area, call 406-293-5644 for ventilation and burning forecast prior to burning. For burn locations located outside of the Libby Outdoor Burning Control Area, call 1-800-225-6779 for ventilation and burning forecast prior to burning. — Build piles with dry materials that are free of dirt, so they burn clean and fast. Do not burn wet grass, needles, leaves, or material that will smolder or produce excess smoke. Piles may be covered with plastic or waterproof paper to keep them dry. This will allow them to be burned when nearby fuels are too wet to burn and control is no longer a concern. Remember to remove the plastic before igniting the piles. — Build burn piles of manageable size and in openings clear of surrounding or overhanging vegetation, structures, and utility lines. Burn piles should not be closer than 50 feet to any structure or 10 feet from any property line. — Establish wide firebreaks around piles to be burned. Firebreaks should be free of vegetation and wide enough to contain burning embers that may fall or roll from the pile. The larger the pile to be burned, the wider the firebreak should be. — When possible, continue to re-pile debris as material is consumed. This will allow the fire to stay hot and burn out as quickly as possible. — Landing piles must be broken apart and completely extinguished before the end of the permit period. — Do not attempt to bury any burning material as fire can burn underground, sometimes for several months. — Burn barrels should not be used to burn garbage. If burn barrels are used, only burn natural vegetation and woody materials.
If you intend to burn, have in place: — A current weather forecast for your burn location — Water source such as a charged hose, buckets, pond, lake, etc. — Fire tools (long-handled shovel, rake, hoe, etc.) or equipment depending on the size of your burn — Enough help to extinguish your fire if unexpected changes in fire behavior occur. — A burn permit if burning during a timeframe or at a location where one is required. Follow the information provided under the "Seasonal Schedule". — Air Quality compliance
Alternatives to Burning — Make a compost pile out of small organic materials — Till vegetative waste materials into the soil — Use thinning and logging debris for firewood — Haul debris to your local landfill free of charge — Chip thinning and logging debris — Lop and scatter thinning and logging debris — Machine crush or trample thinning and logging debris
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20-07-2025
Arizona governor tours wildfire destruction along Grand Canyon's North Rim
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. -- Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs toured the destruction left by a wildfire along the Grand Canyon's North Rim, on Saturday, surveying what she described as devastating damage. The governor, who has called for an investigation into how the blaze was handled, sought to gather information ahead of meetings with federal officials next week, looked intently out the window as the Black Hawk helicopter she was riding snaked over the Grand Canyon. White smoke emerged from the North Rim, and most of the Grand Canyon Lodge was reduced to a bare skeleton, though some of the building appeared intact from overhead. Some surrounding trees were no more than charred toothpicks on the ashen land, and whiffs of smoky air passed through the helicopter. The wildfire was sparked by a lightning strike July 4. Four days later the National Park Service said it was being allowed to burn as part of a 'confine and contain' strategy that the Grand Canyon National Park has leaned on for decades to clear dense vegetation, minimize future risk and make the ecosystem more resilient. But a week after ignition, blustery winds, hot temperatures and lower humidity quickly intensified the flames, prompting officials to shift to aggressive suppression and order evacuations. The blaze has charred more than 18 square miles (46 square kilometers), and as of Saturday it was 8% contained, according to fire information officer Stefan La-Sky. No injuries have been reported, but the Dragon Bravo fire on the canyon's less-frequented North Rim destroyed more than 70 structures, including a visitors' center, historic cabins and the nearly century-old Grand Canyon Lodge. After touching ground, Hobbs visited the incident command post. Lined with trailers and dotted with yurts and tents, the fire camp currently houses more than 800 personnel who have come from various federal, state and local entities and independent contractors to help fire suppression efforts. The camp functions similar to a tiny town. The governor shook hands with members of the crew in the mess hall and met with officials including those from Grand Canyon National Park, the Department of Interior and the National Park Service as well as the incident commander. She said she was encouraged to hear that mitigation is a priority for the federal government. 'This is federal jurisdiction, but fire doesn't know that boundary, and we all have to work together,' Hobbs said. The governor has called for an investigation into why the park service did not immediately put out the flames during the hottest and driest period of summer. Members of the state's congressional delegation also have raised questions. Hobbs said she is not second-guessing the initial response. She said after the fire is managed, she is seeking answers to what went into the decision-making and whether there were missteps. The park service has defended its actions. Hobbs is set to meet this week with leadership in the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior about their decisions in managing the wildfire this upcoming week. She said in a video statement Wednesday that she has not seen any indication that a lack of federal resources are to blame for the spread of the blaze. Last month President Donald Trump ordered government officials to consolidate wildland firefighting into a single program, despite warnings from former federal officials that it could be costly and increase the risk of catastrophic blazes. The North Rim is closed for the rest of the season along with a pair of campgrounds near the Colorado River at the bottom of the canyon. ___
San Francisco Chronicle
20-07-2025
- San Francisco Chronicle
Arizona governor tours wildfire destruction along Grand Canyon's North Rim
Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs toured the destruction left by a wildfire along the Grand Canyon's North Rim, on Saturday, surveying what she described as devastating damage. The governor, who has called for an investigation into how the blaze was handled, sought to gather information ahead of meetings with federal officials next week, looked intently out the window as the Black Hawk helicopter she was riding snaked over the Grand Canyon. White smoke emerged from the North Rim, and most of the Grand Canyon Lodge was reduced to a bare skeleton, though some of the building appeared intact from overhead. Some surrounding trees were no more than charred toothpicks on the ashen land, and whiffs of smoky air passed through the helicopter. The wildfire was sparked by a lightning strike July 4. Four days later the National Park Service said it was being allowed to burn as part of a 'confine and contain' strategy that the Grand Canyon National Park has leaned on for decades to clear dense vegetation, minimize future risk and make the ecosystem more resilient. But a week after ignition, blustery winds, hot temperatures and lower humidity quickly intensified the flames, prompting officials to shift to aggressive suppression and order evacuations. The blaze has charred more than 18 square miles (46 square kilometers), and as of Saturday it was 8% contained, according to fire information officer Stefan La-Sky. No injuries have been reported, but the Dragon Bravo fire on the canyon's less-frequented North Rim destroyed more than 70 structures, including a visitors' center, historic cabins and the nearly century-old Grand Canyon Lodge. After touching ground, Hobbs visited the incident command post. Lined with trailers and dotted with yurts and tents, the fire camp currently houses more than 800 personnel who have come from various federal, state and local entities and independent contractors to help fire suppression efforts. The camp functions similar to a tiny town. The governor shook hands with members of the crew in the mess hall and met with officials including those from Grand Canyon National Park, the Department of Interior and the National Park Service as well as the incident commander. She said she was encouraged to hear that mitigation is a priority for the federal government. 'This is federal jurisdiction, but fire doesn't know that boundary, and we all have to work together,' Hobbs said. The governor has called for an investigation into why the park service did not immediately put out the flames during the hottest and driest period of summer. Members of the state's congressional delegation also have raised questions. Hobbs said she is not second-guessing the initial response. She said after the fire is managed, she is seeking answers to what went into the decision-making and whether there were missteps. The park service has defended its actions. Hobbs is set to meet this week with leadership in the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior about their decisions in managing the wildfire this upcoming week. She said in a video statement Wednesday that she has not seen any indication that a lack of federal resources are to blame for the spread of the blaze. Last month President Donald Trump ordered government officials to consolidate wildland firefighting into a single program, despite warnings from former federal officials that it could be costly and increase the risk of catastrophic blazes. The North Rim is closed for the rest of the season along with a pair of campgrounds near the Colorado River at the bottom of the canyon. ___
Los Angeles Times
15-07-2025
- Los Angeles Times
At least four firefighters injured while battling Northern California wildfires
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