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August 27 Parker Ridge Fire update |
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August 27, 2015 |
The Parker Ridge Fire, located in northwestern
Boundary County and involving the west side
mountains in that area, along with the northern
Kootenai Valley and Porthill, Farm to Market,
and Copeland areas, continues to burn. The fire
is last reported holding generally steady in its
overall area, comprising 6,222 acres, which is
approximately a size of 10 square miles.
Firefighters are beginning to achieve
significant perimeter containment on the fire.
At last report, it is at 27% containment. Crews
have continued building line and putting out hot
spots along the north and northeast flanks of
the fire near Long Canyon Ridge and made
progress building line and mopping up along the
south flank of the fire near Parker Creek with
assistance from helicopter drops.
Progress on the eastern half of the fire
Fortunately, the areas of the fire on the east,
Kootenai Valley side of the West Side Road are
coming under control. "Other than a smoldering
peat bog in a drainage ditch, the part of the
fire east of the Westside Road has been mopped
up," said Kris Reichenbach, Public Information
Officer for the U.S. Forest Service.
And in the mountains on the west . . .
Fire crews have been seeking and extinguishing
hot spots near Long Canyon Ridge and Parker
Creek. Aerial and ground resources continue to
scout the area to identify opportunities to
engage the fire, while felling operations
continue to remove hazard trees.
At last report, 87 firefighters were involved in
controlling the fire, including a newer crew of
20 recently arrived from Fairbanks, Alaska. At
times, heavy smoke conditions have limited air
drops at the fire.
Current status of Evacuation Alerts
Evacuation alert for residents in the area has
been reduced from Stage II alert status to Stage
I status. Stage I status means "Get Ready."
According to Forest Service officials, in a
Stage I Evacuation Alert, area residents should
be ready, made aware of the increased risk, and
are asked to monitor emergency services.
Residents should prepare and if needed, take
early precautionary movement to relocate,
especially those with special needs, pets,
livestock or those needing transportation
assistance.
Note that the higher level Stage II Evacuation
Alert indicates a significant danger exists, and
that residents should voluntarily relocate.
Stage II fire restrictions remain in
force
Overall, our entire county-wide area and much of
the Idaho Panhandle continues with specific fire
restrictions. As a reminder, we are currently
under Stage II Fire Restrictions. With Stage II
Fire Restrictions, all of the following is
prohibited until further notice:
1. Building, maintaining, attending, or using a
fire, campfire, or stove fire.
2. Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or
building, a designated smoking site or while
stopped in an area at least 3 feet in diameter
that is barren or cleared of all flammable
materials.
3. Operating motorized vehicles off designated
roads and trails in accordance with existing
travel management plans for non-commercial
purposes including ATVs, UTVs, and pickups.
4. The following acts are prohibited from 1:00
p.m. to 1:00 a.m. A patrol is required for one
hour following cessation of all work as
described in a, b, and c below:
a. Operating a chainsaw or other equipment
powered by an internal combustion engine for
felling, bucking, skidding, processing, road
building, woodcutting or any other off-road
activity during industrial operations.
b. Blasting, welding, or other activities that
generate flame or flammable material.
c. Using an explosive
 And
just to keep everyone up to date on the ongoing
serious nature of fire risks in our area, the
local Fire Danger Rating is "Extreme," according
to the Smokey Bear sign at the local Forest
Service office.
National Wildfire Preparedness is at the Highest
Level (PL 5), which indicates that fires will
start easily, spread rapidly, quickly increase
in intensity and can be very difficult to
control.
Smoke having a significant impact on our
air quality; some BFHS sports events already
canceled
Air quality in our area and in the entire Inland
Northwest area remains smoky and potentially
harmful. According to the real-time air
monitoring data for the Bonners Ferry area,
operated by the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, the Air
Quality Index Value stands at 161 as of 9:00
a.m. this morning, which is in the "Unhealthy"
range. This index measures the very small
particles in the air, which are the most
dangerous of the particles that might affect a
person's lungs. Index values of 101 to 150
signal that members of sensitive groups (such as
those with lung diseases) may experience health
effects from particulates in the air. However,
with an Air Quality Index of 151 to 200
(remember our Index today stands at 161) means
that everyone may begin to experience health
effects, and that those groups who are more
sensitive may have more serious health effects.
Conrad Garner, Bonners Ferry High School Dean of
Students and Athletic Director, has announced
that the BFHS Boys' soccer game, scheduled for
today at Lakeland, has been canceled due to poor
air quality related to smoke from regional
forest wildfires. In a later statement, he
also announced the cancellation of today's BFHS
JV football game, which had been scheduled for
play at Priest River.
Tomorrow's soccer games, which include the BFHS
Girls' game scheduled to be played in Bonners
Ferry against St. Maries, and the Boys' game at
Orofino are being evaluated closely and are also
at risk of being canceled.
Tomorrow's BFHS home football game vs Priest
River, scheduled to be played tomorrow evening,
is also being evaluated and could potentially be
cancelled.
NewsBF is continuing to monitor these scheduled
BFHS sports activities, and will publish
notifications as soon as we receive word of the
status of those games that are still being
evaluated.
Many outdoor public gatherings throughout the
Inland Northwest have been canceled or moved
because of the dangerous air quality. For
example, many schools have either canceled
sports practice sessions, or moved them indoors.
Sandpoint High School has rescheduled their
Friday football game to Saturday, which will be
played indoors at the University of Idaho's
Kibbie Dome, in an effort to play in a better
air quality environment.
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