The Parker Ridge Fire continues to burn at the top of Parker Ridge, ignited by a lightning strike on July 29. Now at 263 acres, the fire has more than doubled in size over the past few days, still with 0% containment.
While there is currently a lot of communication between the community and those working to control this fire, it is very difficult to reach out to everyone. Thursday night (August 6), a community meeting was held at Bonners Ferry High School’s football field to help facilitate that communication between fire and lands officials and the residents of Boundary County. “If we don’t know what’s going on, we’ll imagine the worst,” said Norm Rooker, a responder from Colorado. “We need to share the reality of what’s going on.”
Forty-four Boundary County residents took advantage of the opportunity to attend the meeting and learn details about the Parker Ridge Fire. According to fire officials, the goal of Thurday's community meeting was "to brief members of the public, share results of the ongoing operations, discuss other assessments of the Parker Ridge Fire, and go over the current and upcoming operative plans."
To that end, there was much explanation about what the fire is currently doing, what it is expected to do, the efforts that are being made to keep it under control, and what citizens can do to prepare their homes in the event of an emergency evacuation.
What is the fire doing currently?
As of yesterday morning (August 7), the fire covers approximately 263 acres and is 0% contained. Since last week when it was first detected, fire activity has been increasing due to harsher winds. The extreme amount of dead, standing lodgepole pine trees has also not helped the issue. Aside from adding fuel to the fire, these dead trees are very unstable and have the potential to fall over without warning, making for conditions that are unsafe for any firefighting attempts on the ground. Therefore, continued efforts to slow the fire down are being made by using the aircraft resources that have been provided.
What is the fire expected to do in the coming days?
Currently the high temperatures and dry conditions we are experiencing have been record breaking. We have not seen conditions like these in this community for over 50 years, and we are a month ahead of when we would typically be seeing conditions similar to these. It is anticipated that it will only continue to get hotter and dryer. However, the Spokane Weather Service reports that we should not expect any extremely high heat or winds within the next seven days. Even without high heat or winds, the fire will continue to spread, but the hope is that the responders can use that time to get a handle on it by continuing to use the aircraft.
What is the plan for getting this fire under control?
As noted above, there is currently nobody on the ground fighting this fire. The safety concerns and the location of the fire itself make it impossible to safely fly anyone in because there is nowhere safe to land. “We will never trade lives for trees,” said Forest Service district ranger Kevin Knauth. Still, a lot of effort is being made from the air. On the first afternoon alone of attacking the fire, 24,000 gallons of water were used in an attempt to stop it early. Since then, responders have been consistently dumping water and fire retardant on and around the fire in an attempt to “box it in,” said Knauth.
Even with it boxed in, the fire must continue to spread in order to provide conditions that will make it safe enough for firefighters to work on it from the ground. Right now, there is a lot of waiting, monitoring, scouting, and preparing happening to ensure the safety of both the community and the potential on-the-ground responders.
How can citizens be prepared in the case of a necessary evacuation?
At the very earliest, the fire could possibly put structures at risk in the next five days, but that is in the case of extreme weather conditions. Realistically, the estimate is between seven and eight days. Nonetheless, the responders would like the community to “think tomorrow.” South Boundary Fire Department Chief Tony Rohrwasser provided many precautions to take in order to be prepared for an emergency evacuation:
1. Look on your deck and around a radius of at least five feet from your home. Is there anything that could potentially fuel a fire (bark, dry weeds, lawn furniture, etc.)?
2. Make a list of important things that you CANNOT forget in the case of an evacuation (social security cards, cell phone chargers, etc.).
3. Sit down with your family and put together a communication and evacuation plan.
4. Carry your car keys with you at all times.
5. Locate your pets and keep them nearby. Arrange the transportation of any livestock to a safe location.
6. Clear out your driveway and park all vehicles facing so that it is a straight shot to the road – no reverse necessary.
7. Research load limits on any private bridges. Responders cannot cross any bridges unless they are aware of the load limit.
8. Listen to a radio or scanner – Bonners Ferry is connected with Nixle which, upon registration, provides notifications from the Sheriff’s department to your cell phone (nixle.com)
9. If you are asked to evacuate, please do so. It is for your own safety and for the safety of the responders.
For a checklist that provides further detail, please visit:
http://www.readyforwildfire.org/pre-evacuation_preparation
For further information or to ask a question about this fire, contact information is provided below:
Information Phone: 208-267-6773
Email: parkerridgefireinfo@gmail.com
Webpage: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4432/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/USFSIPNF