Suppression operations are winding down on the 28,553-acre Copper King Fire east of Thompson Falls, with all evacuations and pre-evacuation alerts lifted and a local incident management team assuming control Tuesday morning.

Last weekend’s cold front brought plummeting temperatures and about a quarter-inch of rain to the state’s largest fire this year, but departing fire information officer Jennifer Costich said they aren’t calling it dead-out just yet.

“Things are definitely feeling more confident, even about that southeast edge of the fire, but it’s not over until the fat lady sings, and we could always get a long dry spell in the fall,” Costich said Tuesday morning.

That possibility was boosted by the season’s first hard frost Monday night, which killed most of the seasonal foliage and could allow it to dry more quickly. The National Weather Service is forecasting temperatures in Thompson Falls to reach the upper 70s starting tomorrow, and potentially hitting the low 80s on Friday.

Suppression crews have established containment lines around 80 percent of the fire’s perimeter, and the uncontained southeastern front — which had been moving into steep terrain within the Munson Creek drainage — has advanced little in the past week.

Since relieving Greg Poncin’s Type I command earlier this month, the departing Type II team completed fire lines along the eastern edge of the fire and wrapped up most of the repair work, including slash and debris removal and erosion control where crews used bulldozers and hand crews to dig fire lines.

Effective at 7 a.m. Tuesday, the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office rescinded all evacuation orders. A rapid expansion of the fire last month had forced the evacuation of about 45 structures and put more than 100 others on pre-evacuation status.

No structures were lost in the fire, and last week, evacuees were finally allowed to return to their homes but remained on alert pending a possible change in fire behavior.

Some area closures remain in effect, however. Hunters, hikers and other recreationists visiting the area can find updated closure information online at inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/4912/33378.

The Copper King Fire was first reported July 31. The Lolo National Forest is investigating the cause, but has yet to determine whether it was sparked naturally.

If investigators determine the wildfire was human-caused, those responsible could be on the hook for the costs of suppression, which totaled an estimated $26.6 million as of Monday night.

Reporter Sam Wilson can be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com.