MSGID: 1:317/3 62fe7e27   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   August 18, 2022 - Multiple Fires in Idaho Forests   
      
      Fires in Idaho   
       Tweet   
       Share   
      
      Dry weather, low humidity, gusty winds, and lightning strikes sparked   
      multiple fires in the forests of central and southern Idaho in July and   
      August 2022. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)   
      on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of fires and   
      smoke in Idaho on August 16.   
      
      Each red “hot spot” marks an area where the thermal bands on the MODIS   
      instrument detected high temperatures. When combined with typical   
      smoke, as in this image, such hot spots mark actively burning fire. At   
      least ten different fires were burning in the grass, timber, and heavy   
      forest across the region on that date. These include, roughly from   
      north to south, the Moose Fire, Pretty Fire, Petes Fire, Indian Ridge   
      Fire, Dismal Fire, Wolf Fang Fire, Porphyry Fire, Woodtick Fire, Norton   
      Fire, and Four Corners Fire. Each will be briefly described. The   
      smaller fires are not visible in the image while the largest may have   
      more than one hot spot, as fires often spread on several fronts.   
      
      The Moose Fire, sitting in the northeast, is the largest fire. It   
      started July 17 about 17 miles north of Salmon, Idaho. This blaze   
      likely has been caused by humans and is under investigation. As of   
      August 17, more than 1,000 personnel are working to suppress the fire,   
      which has charred about 78,084 acres and is only 34 percent contained.   
      Rafts are being used to shuttle firefighters and equipment across the   
      Salmon River to work the fire. Also nearby are the Pretty Fire and   
      Petes Fire. The Pretty Fire started on August 15 near the intersection   
      of Panther Creek Road and Salmon River Road. It was contained on August   
      16 and has not grown. On August 16, a lightning strike ignited Petes   
      Fire near Moyer. As of August 17, it was only about 5 acres in size.   
      Rising temperatures and low relative humidity, along with temperatures   
      in the mid-90s, spur fire growth.   
      
      The Indian Ridge Fire was started by lightning strike on July 7 in the   
      Indian Creek drainage in Idaho’s Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. As of   
      August 17, it has grown to approximately 4,000 acres. It is burning   
      five miles from the Idaho/Montana border and is approximately 30 miles   
      southwest of Darby, MT. Area and trail closure is in effect. The fire   
      is burning in very steep, rugged, and remote terrain with heavy surface   
      fuels and dead standing timber making access for firefighters difficult   
      and dangerous. According to InciWeb Incident Information System, fire   
      managers are using a point protection strategy on this fire, aimed at   
      preventing any critical wilderness infrastructure from being negatively   
      impacted by the fire. In a threatened campground, crews wrapped signs   
      and tables with flame resistant foil and installed sprinklers on the   
      road bridge.   
      
      Lighting strikes ignited two fires in the Frank Church-River of No   
      Return Wilderness of the Payette National Forest during the second week   
      of July. This area is south and west of the Indian Ridge Fire. The   
      first fire, Mosquito Ridge, was confined to a single tree and was   
      completely put out on July 25. The second fire is called the Dismal   
      Fire and continues to burn in the headwaters for the Dismal Creek   
      Drainage. As of August 17, this fire has reached 1,371 acres in size.   
      It is a low-intensity fire primarily burning in underbrush under   
      standing trees. The InciWeb report states “The Dismal Fire is being   
      managed to allow for naturally occurring wildfire to accomplish its   
      ecological role.” In addition, a point/zone protection strategy is   
      being utilized to protect valuable areas at risk.   
      
      The Wolf Fang Fire, also started by lightning, was first reported July   
      13 about four miles northeast of the confluence of Big Creek and the   
      Middle Fork of the Salmon River in the Frank Church-River of No Return   
      Wilderness. As of August 17, the fire has reached 1,126 acres and is   
      burning in spruce and fir is located in steep, rugged terrain. It is a   
      low-intensity fire, exhibiting creeping and smoldering behavior in   
      essentially inaccessible territory. With a focus on risk to responders   
      and public safety, the fire is being assessed daily but no active   
      suppression was reported.   
      
      On August 11, thunderstorms passed over the Payette National Forest,   
      sparking the Porphyry Fire which burns west of Porphyry Creek high   
      along the ridge from the South Fork of the Salmon River. To date, it   
      has burned 485 acres and closures of parts of the forest are likely as   
      the fire is continuing to expand. Currently the Porphyry Fire is under   
      a suppression strategy with point/zone protection at noted values at   
      risk, such as a burnout of fuels near a bridge that has been successful   
      in protecting that structure. The steep and extremely rugged terrain is   
      characterized as “unforgiving to firefighters”, so additional tactics,   
      such as aerial assists, are being assessed to hold this fire to as   
      small a size as safely possible.   
      
      The Norton Fire started on August 1 when thunderstorms tracked through   
      the Salmon Challis National Forest. The lightning fire is located   
      approximately seven miles Northwest of Lower Loon Creek in the Frank   
      Church-River of No Return Wilderness. As of August 17, the fire had   
      burned about 470 acres. An aggressive initial attack was attempted with   
      25 firefighters and two type 1 helicopters in an attempt to catch it   
      early. However, due to firefighter safety, fire behavior, and difficult   
      access to the fire, a direct attack strategy was changed to point   
      protection. Fire managers continue to monitor fire activity using   
      remote cameras and aircraft.   
      
      The Four Corners wildfire flared up about an hour before sunset on   
      August 13, according to an InciWeb report. As of August 17, the blaze   
      has burned about 3,500 acres near Lookout Peak in the West Mountain   
      range west of Cascade on the Payette and Boise National Forests. While   
      no cause has been definitively determined, it is thought to be a   
      lightning holdover from thunderstorms that crossed the area on August   
      11. The strategy for this fire is full suppression, including aerial   
      support. Boaters on the Cascade Reservoir are cautioned that   
      water-scooping aircraft will be taking water from the reservoir. The   
      water scoopers hold 1,600 gallons of water and it takes 12 seconds to   
      fill the capacity while skimming over the reservoir, so boaters are   
      asked to stay clear of the path of the aircraft.   
      
      Image Facts   
      Satellite:  Aqua   
      Date Acquired: 8/16/2022   
      Resolutions:  1km (337.3 KB),  500m (226 KB),  250m (656 KB)   
      Bands Used: 1,4,3   
      Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC   
      
      
      
   https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-08-18   
       
   --- up 24 weeks, 3 days, 20 minutes   
    * Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)   
   SEEN-BY: 15/0 106/201 114/705 123/120 129/331 153/7715 229/111 112   
   SEEN-BY: 229/113 317 400 426 428 470 664 700 292/854 298/25 305/3   
   SEEN-BY: 317/3 320/219 396/45   
   PATH: 317/3 229/426