North Hughes fire forces trail closures

NORDMAN — The Idaho Panhandle and Colville national forests issued temporary trail closures due to the North Fork Hughes Fire burning in the Salmo-Priest Wilderness, the U.S. Forest Service announced on Friday.

Forest officials in Idaho and Washington closed Trail No. 312 (Hughes Fork Trial) and Trail No. 512 (Shedroof Divide Trail) in Pend Oreille County for public safety reasons.

The North Fork Hughes Fire is believed to be the result of an overnight lightning strike on June 28. The fire is approximately 50 acres in size and is burning in heavy timber, according for forest officials. It’s located approximately 20 miles north of Nordman.

The spate of hot and dry weather left the area in a June drought. The heat spell and attendant lack of humidity have continued to dry fuels in the forest.

Information on the North Fork Hughes Fires is updated on InciWeb at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5343/.

For additional information, please contact the Priest Lake Ranger District at (208) 443-2512. For questions regarding campground reservations, please visit http://www.recreation.gov/ or call 888-448-1474.