Firefighters making progress
<p>A helicopter drops hundreds of gallons of water on hot spots Tuesday as the Cape Horn fire in Bayview spreads to another point further north.</p>
<p>Firefighters work along a fire line to the west of the blaze as efforts to contain the fire continue.</p>
<p>A staircase to the shore of Lake Pend Oreille is all that remains of one residence after being totally destroyed by the wildfire.</p>
<p>Bayview residents leave their home as Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office marine deputies patrol Lake Pend Oreille.</p>
<p>Phil Stephan, a marina manager for several marinas in Bayview, describes the scene on the shore where he believes the Cape Horn fire originated.</p>
<p>Bruce and Judy Robinson, volunteers and members with the Bayview Chamber of Commerce, work together to place letters on a sign thanking firefighters and informing residents of a community fire information meeting.</p>
<p>Emergency personnel meet near a series of logistical tents at a fire base camp in Farragut State Park.</p>
BAYVIEW - Firefighters continued to battle the Cape Horn Fire Tuesday despite warnings that thunderstorms with very little rain are expected to complicate firefighting efforts.
"Wetting rains will be unlikely with most of these storms, and gusty outflow winds are possible," a red flag warning from the National Weather Service said. "Lightning in combination with very dry fuels could result in additional wildfire starts.
"The gusty winds from these fires could hamper firefighting efforts on existing wildfires," the warning continued. "A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures will create extreme fire growth potential."
Jason Kirchner, spokesman for the Panhandle National Forest, issued an update Tuesday saying the weather was mostly cloudy, with a high near 82. Light northeast winds were increasing to 9 to 14 mph by afternoon. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch were expected in the evening; higher amounts were possible with the thunderstorms.
Crews built additional hand and dozer line, and burnt out areas along the line. Multiple aircraft supported ground operations by dropping water and retardant to strengthen fire lines and cool hotspots, according an update sheet sent at 10 p.m.
The estimated size of the fire was also re-evaluated to be 1,380 acres and the fire is now 35 percent contained, the report said.
There are now nine 20-person crews, eight engines, two air tankers, four helicopters, three fireboats, two sheriff boats, three dozers and two water tenders fighting the fire. That's a total of 295 personnel.
Fire officials say their biggest concerns are steep, rugged terrain and old mine shafts in the fire area.
Meanwhile the Northern Rockies Incident Management Team took over management control of the fire, according to Geremy Olson, a public information officer for the team.
The fire is now being treated as a type two fire.
Olson explained the types of fires with a sports analogy, saying a type four fire is like a Jr. High school football game, where a type three is like a state championship game and a type two or type one fire are like the superbowl.
"It really has nothing to do with the type of tactics used or the ability of the firefighters," he explained, adding it has much more to do with getting more resources to better manage the fire.
He said on a type two fire there are more resources and people available to not only fight the fire directly, but to manage, feed and keep track of the firefighters in the field.
The management team wasted no time setting up a tent city to manage firefighter registration, planning, logistics, financial and medical facilities.
"On a type three fire, it is the chief that has to manage all of that," he said. "When the fire gets bigger, more resources are needed to do that stuff."
Olson said the NRIMT is about 54 people strong and this is the first type two fire it has been assigned to this year.
The local agencies that have been fighting the fire to date will still be fighting the fire, but they have given the team "a delegation of authority" to manage the fire.
Gov. Butch Otter did declare the fire a disaster on Monday - clearing the way to use Federal Emergency Management Agency money to fight the fire - but Olson said that does not mean FEMA is managing the fire.
"That's a misnomer that's out there," he said, explaining that FEMA is a response agency. "Our job is to come in and stabilize the incident."
According to Elizabeth C. Duncan, with the Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security, the disaster declaration makes FEMA funding available to pay 75 percent of Idaho's eligible firefighting costs under an approved grant for managing, mitigating and controlling designated fires.
"These grants provide reimbursement for firefighting and life-saving efforts. They do not provide assistance to individuals, homeowners or business owners and do not cover other infrastructure damage caused by the fire," she said in an email Tuesday. "Eligible items can include expenses for field camps; equipment use, repair and replacement; mobilization and demobilization activities; and tools, materials and supplies."
She said at this point officials are facing a lot of uncertainty, which is normal, since the fire just started and the formal assessments have yet to be made.
Olson said those damage assessments were being conducted by the local agencies on Tuesday afternoon.
Olson said his first order of business was to collect information on the status of the fire and the resource that are currently available. He was still unsure of how many firefighters would be arriving to fight the fire. He said the crew could grow from its current 150 firefighters to 300 plus his team of 54.
Olson also called a community meeting Tuesday night to discuss the status of the fire with those who are left in the community and more importantly, he said, to let the residents ask questions.
Shoshana Cooper, a spokeswoman for the Panhandle National Forest, was setting up an information command in the Bayview Community Center as well.
She said a better Internet network was being developed and the communications channel should improve today.
Olson said it is very important to get the correct information out to the community.
"I don't want people to think their homes burnt down when they didn't," he said. "And I don't want people to learn that their house burnt down on Facebook."
Cooper said people who have already evacuated are trying to get information because they have not been allowed to return to their homes yet. She has started a Facebook page called "Cape Horn Fire," which is the official source for fire information.
While those who have evacuated were not allowed to return on Monday, some people were getting back to Bayview on Tuesday to tend to their pets that may have been left behind. The Kootenai County Sheriff's Office issued a statement late Tuesday inviting residents to arrange an escort to their homes if they need to tend to their pets.
"The Kootenai County Sheriff's Office would like to advise all individuals from the evacuated fire area that may have animals that need your attention to please contact our Central Dispatch at 208-446-1300," the statement said. "A representative of the Sheriff's Office will return your call to make arrangements for you to be escorted to your pets or animals."
HAYDEN - Panhandle Health District and the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality have issued a Wildfire Smoke Advisory for the Idaho Panhandle.
Wildfire smoke from several fires currently burning in Idaho, Washington and Canada is affecting air quality.
At this time, air quality is categorized as "moderate" to "unhealthy for sensitive groups." Older adults, pregnant women, children, and those with pre-existing respiratory issues or heart disease are often more affected by these conditions.
Residents are advised to:
* Avoid heavy work or exercise outdoors.
* Set air conditioning units and car vent systems to re-circulate. For homes without a central heating and/or cooling system, use portable air purifiers to remove particles.
* Limit time outdoors, especially if you have respiratory conditions or heart disease.
* Drink plenty of water. Staying hydrated helps dilute phlegm in the respiratory tract, making it easier to cough out smoke particles.
* Seek medical treatment for uncontrolled coughing, wheezing, choking, or if you have difficulty breathing once you move back indoors.
* Stay up-to-date on air quality in your community. View near real-time air quality monitoring by visiting http://airquality.deq.idaho.gov.