Fire near Silverwood under control
Wildland firefighting aircraft fly over a quick-moving wildland fire Friday evening on Brunner Road west of U.S. 95. The fire prompted evacuations of Silverwood Theme Park and a number of residents in the area. JEROME POLLOS/Special to The Press
Pilot Mike Kincaid captured this shot Saturday of the blaze that forced the evacuation of Silverwood Theme Park and a number of homes north of the Coeur d'Alene area. MIKE KINCAID/Special to The Press
A Friday fire near Silverwood Theme Park that at its peak encompassed 87 acres was about 50% contained by Saturday morning, officials said.
Friday afternoon, Silverwood evacuated about 8,000 customers but was back in business Saturday.
As of Saturday at 10 a.m., the Brunner fire had been reduced to about 75 acres, Idaho Department of Lands Fire Information Duty Officer Mick Thomas said.
IDL Fire, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office and local fire resources responded to the event quickly after the initial call Friday. The area most affected by the fire, according to a KCSO statement, was within the boundaries of Diagonal, Seasons, and Warren roads.
KCSO reduced Friday road closures on Brunner Road between Morgan Pine and Neighbors Court Saturday. Law enforcement dropped other road closures north of Seasons Road, but KCSO asked individuals to refrain from driving in the area to help reduce traffic.
“We want to keep people out of the area as much as possible. A lot of times when people see smoke, they go out to look or take a photo, and that can cause traffic on needed roads,” Thomas said.
Thomas said one dozer, 11 engines, two 20-person hand crews and three water tenders — an apparatus similar to a mobile fire hydrant — were on the Brunner fire scene Saturday morning. He didn't anticipate airborne help would be needed.
The growing flames led to level 3 — immediate — evacuations in multiple areas by law enforcement, KCSO reported Friday. Those evacuations included Silverwood Theme Park visitors.
“We never want to have to evacuate, but the decision was in the interest of public safety due to the path the fire was traveling,” Silverwood Director of Marketing Jordan Carter said Saturday. “Our staff did amazing. We appreciate the local fire departments and sheriff being so quick to respond.”
To Carter’s memory, the amusement park has never had to evacuate from a wildfire before. He noted that the closest event was when a water park restroom caught fire in 2014, and the area was vacated for a short time.
“We practice evacuation procedures before the park opens every year so that our crew is prepared to get everyone out safely and efficiently,” Carter said. “We are very excited to open back up today.”
Additional evacuations will be made on a case-by-case basis moving forward, IDL reported.
The cause of the fire was still undetermined and could likely take weeks of investigation, Thomas noted.
“A lot of times, we don’t have any indication of what caused the initial spark,” Thomas said.
No primary structure damage was reported as of Saturday morning. Thomas said the fire potentially damaged two outbuildings and two cars.
North Idaho has seen numerous fires this season due to abnormally dry, hot weather. Thomas, a Missouri native, said 2021 is already the hottest season he has ever seen and one of the most active fire years Idaho has experienced since 2016.
“So far, our state spending alone is twice what it was the entire 2020 season. We’re probably at about $23 million or $24 million in spending right now,” Thomas said. “We’re tracing that as an agency, and I know Gov. (Brad) Little and the IDL board are watching because they want to make sure we are ready and have the resources we need.”
Officers on the scene told Thomas they don't anticipate any issues controlling the Brunner fire. Thomas said groups on the ground would continue to stay engaged in an attempt to push the 50% containment to 100%.
“We hit every fire hard,” he said.
