Blazes keep fire crews busy
Photo by John C. Brett The barn at Settlers Creek, a wedding/event venue, burns Tuesday near Coeur d'Alene.
Courtesy of KOOTENAI COUNTY FIRE AND RESCUE Smoking rubble was all that remained Tuesday after a fire burned the barn at Settlers Creek, an event and wedding center outside of Coeur d'Alene.
Area fire crews were spread thin Tuesday afternoon as they battled two blazes that started at the same time on opposite sides of Coeur d'Alene.
Fire crews met with a barn ablaze at the historic Settler's Creek Farm, four miles from Coeur d'Alene on the the north side of the Spokane River along Riverview Drive.
At the same time crews were sent to battle a fire at Sunnyside Drive along Mullan Trail east of Coeur d'Alene.
Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Division Chief Steve Isaacson said Coeur d'Alene fire crews received two second-alarm fires, one at 1:38 p.m. at Sunnyside, and the other two minutes later at Settler's Creek, where he responded along with crews from other agencies.
A multiple-alarm fire is firespeak for a blaze that is severe and difficult to contain.
“We arrived to find a fully-engulfed barn, a very large barn, fully involved,” Isaacson said.
The barn at Settler's Creek, a historic structure used for banquets and large gatherings, collapsed as crews kept the burn from spreading to nearby buildings, but a westerly wind blew sparks into nearby pastures and forestland.
“The sparks started a 30-acre wildland fire,” Isaacson said.
With the help of Idaho Department of Lands wildland crews and wildland firefighters from the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, the wildland blaze was contained near 40 acres, he said.
The state crews were assisted by a helicopter with a 300-gallon bucket that dipped water from the river to dump on the burning field and forest.
“They made 10 trips with water,” Isaacson said. “It really helped us with a knock down.”
By late afternoon, crews from six agencies had contained both blazes at Settler's Creek, snuffing the wildland fire and quenching the fire at the banquet hall — and kept flames from damaging four nearby structures.
“There was minor damage to four outbuildings,” Isaacson said. That damage was primarily superficial, he said.
The Sunnyside fire east of Coeur d'Alene, north of Interstate 90 burned a residence, Isaacson said. No one was injured in either of the two fires. Isaacson said his department hadn't estimated the value of damages for either fire, but both fires were unintentional, he said.
“All indicators show it was an accidental fire,” he said.
By 6 p.m. crews were mopping up, drenching hotspots and keeping a watch on both fires.
“We'll keep an eye on that tonight,” Isaacson said. “We're pretty happy we all got here quick. “We could have had a very big fire here.”
Crews from Coeur d'Alene, Northern Lakes Fire and Mica-Kidd Island assisted.