Area blazes continue to threaten homes

Evacuation levels were raised to Stage 3 Tuesday night for the lower Selway River, where the Slide Fire is threatening homes between the O'Hara Bridge to the Fenn Ranger Station.

"The Slide Fire continues to flank and spread both downriver and upriver," said fire information officer Jennifer Costich.

She said the Stage 3 alert was brought on both by the fire's movement and by a firefighter plan to conduct burnout operations between the threatened structures and the fire.

"They just have to have the right conditions to do that," she said.

Under a Stage 3 alert, residents are advised to evacuate immediately. Fire information officer Judy Chetwin said structure protection, including equipment and crews, is in place there "in case the fire gets to that area."

The fire, burning on the north side of the river, has covered at least 8,500 acres. It is part of the 35-fire Motorway Complex. Most of those fires were only moderately active Tuesday because of a layer of heavy smoke up to a mile thick around Syringa that grounded aircraft, according to a news release from the team managing the complex.

The Wash Fire on the south side of the Selway River showed growth between Doe and Boulder creeks Tuesday, according to fire information officer Catherine Hibbard.

"It started moving up-slope toward Anderson Butte Trail," she said.

If the fire reaches the trail, the evacuation alert for the Elk City area will rise to Stage 2. She said structure protection assessments begin around Elk City today.

The Wash Fire is part of the Selway Complex that also includes the Baldy Fire, estimated at 1,350 acres. The fire slopped over lines on its western flank and forced firefighters to fall back to a nearby road, where they will try to establish indirect lines. Fire officials plan to assess structure protection needs in the Golden area today as a precaution.

The Tepee Springs Fire was active Tuesday and made a run to the northwest that prompted a Stage 1 evacuation alert for the U.S. Highway 95 corridor along the Little Salmon and Salmon rivers, including Pollock and Riggins.

Prior to the run, the fire in southern Idaho County had burned more than 15,000 acres and was 30 percent contained. Fire information officer Chris Wyatt said the evacuation notice includes the Elk Creek subdivision and an area along the Salmon River west of Riggins to French Creek Road. Under a Stage 1 notice, residents are advised to stay alert to changing conditions and the possible need to evacuate.

Fire crews working on the Woodrat Fire that is threatening Syringa continued to conduct burnout operations to protect the small community along the Middle Fork of the Clearwater River. Because of success there, the Stage 3 evacuation notice for Syringa, Smith Creek and Suttler Creek roads was downgraded to a Stage 2 alert. Under Stage 2, residents are advised to be ready to evacuate at a moment's notice.

Crews fighting the Grizzly Bear Complex near Troy, Ore., spent more time Tuesday trying to secure fire lines along the Grande Ronde River between Bear and Lightning creeks. Fire information officer Karen Ripley said most of the structure protection work has been completed in the Grouse Flat area. But she said there is still work to be done north of there to ensure the fire can't outflank existing fire lines. Evacuation alerts there remain in place but could be downgraded in the coming days, Ripley said.

"We just need to tie in a little better on the east side," she said.

The Grizzly Bear Complex has burned 59,200 acres. It was previously reported at more than 61,000 acres, but the size was adjusted following better mapping.

Crews working on the Municipal Complex, which includes the Fisher Fire near Craigmont and the Municipal Fire near Orofino, continued to make good progress Tuesday. Fire information officer Todd Schroeder said the two fires are being monitored and crews continue to expand containment lines and mop up hot spots. Both fires are 80 percent contained.

This evening, the Type 1 incident command team overseeing firefighting efforts for the complex will also take control of the Clearwater Complex, which includes fires near Kamiah and in the Lolo Creek drainage. The team managing the Clearwater Complex will take over the Motorway Complex and also take on the Jay Point Fire near Powell.

The Jay Point Fire is 1.5 miles west of Powell and has burned 800 acres. The fire prompted a Stage 1 evacuation alert for Powell and led to the closing of several campgrounds and a large portion of the Powell Ranger District. More than 120 firefighters are working on the blaze.

Fire crews from the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest are managing four separate complexes of fires spread throughout the 4-million-acre forest. On the North Zone of the forest that includes the Palouse and North Fork ranger districts, the 15-fire Larkin Complex is burning about 30 miles northeast of Pierce. The fires have covered about 3,000 acres. The Scurvy Mountain Fire, which is not part of the complex, has burned about 90 acres. Firefighters wrapped Scurvy Mountain Lookout in protective foil. The Scurvy Mountain trail is closed.

On the Central Zone of the forest, which includes the Lochsa, Powell and Moose Creek ranger districts, fire managers are working on the Lochsa South and Wilderness complexes. The 1,000-acre Lochsa South Complex includes 11 fires on the south side of the Lochsa River from Warm Springs Creek on the east to the Selway River on the west.

The Wilderness Complex includes eight fires that have covered about 6,000 acres in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area.

On the South Zone of the forest, which includes the Red River and Salmon ranger districts, fire managers are working on the Red River Complex. The small cluster of blazes has covered about 3,100 acres.

There is a large number of road, trail and area closures associated with the complexes and other fires on the forest. Information on them is available at 1.usa.gov/1Lv3rWA.

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Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2273. Follow him on Twitter @ezebarker.