Weather complicates fire management

COEUR d'ALENE - The recent bouts of rain and lightning have provided some challenges for firefighters recently, but so far nothing catastrophic has occurred.

"I am not sure about the lightning this weekend, but we have had 14 fires that we believe were started by lightning since July 23," said Jason Kirchner, a spokesman for the Idaho Panhandle National Forest. "But we were able to get on top of those quickly."

Kirchner credited the agency's success to planning ahead for this fire season. He said the Forest Service has beefed up the number of firefighters this year due to the unusually dry weather.

Kirchner said Monday's weather was a little concerning when the afternoon thunderstorms started gathering.

"It's getting windy and I know we are getting some lightning strikes right now," he said. "As the weather warms up later this week, I suspect we'll see them start to show up."

While the rain has been mild in the Bayview area, Karen Sjoquist, a spokeswoman from the Idaho Department of Lands, said there have been instances of rock and debris washing onto the roads.

"We are telling people to really be careful driving in the Cape Horn area," she said, adding the area was not experiencing very much rain on Monday.

"They really haven't had any significant rain or any other problems," she said.

Sjoquist said fire crews were working to mop up the hot spots, but as of Monday it looked like all of the places the fire continued to smolder and smoke were extinguished. The Idaho Department of Lands Type 4 incident management team took over incident operations. Fire operations will continue to consist of patrol and mop-up. Firefighters are using infrared devices on the fireline to detect and deal with hotspots.

In its most recent update, the IDL is still concerned about falling dead trees and large rocks rolling down the charred areas of the mountain.

"Residents and users of area roads should use extreme caution when driving," the update said. "Potential for rolling debris of rocks or logs is high and standing dead timber can fall unexpectedly."

Boaters are also being asked to stay 100 feet away from the shoreline where the fire perimeter burned down to the water's edge.

If smoke is observed that does not appear to be in conjunction with the Cape Horn Fire, please call emergency personnel.

While the weather has been relatively cool with a little rain, future weather conditions will continue to be warm and dry. Stage II fire restrictions within the region will remain in effect until further notice.