Fires on their way out
Judd Wilson Staff Writer | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 7 years, 4 months AGO
LOREN BENOIT/Press A helicopter carrying a bucket of water approaches a fire Monday afternoon at Dodd and Strahorn roads in Hayden. The fire was contained late Monday and the cause is under investigation.
HAYDEN — Fires sparked on Monday have been put in patrol status and are being watched by local agencies.
Shane O’Shea, assistant fire warden with the Idaho Department of Lands, said Tuesday that each of the fires had been contained by 7 p.m. Monday. Firefighters continued to mop up the fires Tuesday. Northern Lakes Fire District spokesman Jim Lyon added that Northern Lakes firefighters “have been going out to all fire sites to put out hot spots and double checking to prevent any rekindle.”
O’Shea explained that the fires have each been downgraded to patrol status, which means that the fires have been contained and fire crews believe they have no chance to cross containment lines. They will check on them daily to mop up any smoke that shows up. The fires will stay in that patrol status until 24 hours pass with zero visible smoke or heat, he said. At that point, each fire is officially declared out.
Despite a multitude of unconfirmed reports that Monday’s fires were caused by a plane malfunction at the Coeur d’Alene Airport, officials would not confirm if that was the case Tuesday. U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Shoshana Cooper said Monday the cause was under investigation, and did not answer questions about the cause on Tuesday. Kootenai County Commissioner Chris Fillios said Tuesday that he was also awaiting verification as to the cause of the fires.
Along with Monday’s fires, the Kootenai County area experienced an uptick in smoky conditions. According to data from the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, air quality in Coeur d’Alene deteriorated from an air quality index of 48 on Monday to 62 on Tuesday. Jacob Odekirk, air quality analyst with DEQ, forecast a moderate AQI of 55 for today. Odekirk called for the air quality to slightly improve on Thursday and Friday, with AQI of 50 and 45, respectively.
On Tuesday afternoon, the National Weather Service in Spokane issued a fire weather watch in effect on Thursday from 2-9 p.m. The combination of 10 to 15 mph southwest winds with gusts up to 25, plus low humidity of 13-25 percent, may “lead to rapid spread of new or existing wildfires,” said NWS. “Cooler temperatures arriving Friday will end this situation,” concluded the advisory.
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