Containment reaches 51% on Ridge Creek Fire
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 3 years, 2 months AGO
Multiple landowners express thanks to firefighters through signs, donations and more.
The Southern Area Gold Complex Incident Management Team contained more than half of the Ridge Creek Fire’s perimeter Friday, and held the destruction at 4,474 acres burned.
The operations team has shifted priorities into repairs, mop-ups and patrol, according to a Friday morning news release.
On the eastern side of the fire, firefighters worked with specialists who identify impacts of fire operations on natural and cultural resources to identify areas needing suppression repair.
Crews have also started downsizing equipment, storing loose hoses or removing water storage tanks to streamline the eventual breakdown of the fire camp. Some personnel have also been taken off the assignment, dropping to 317 people.
Chipping and road repairs were the major priority Friday, to allow Forest Service Roads to reopen to public use.
Investigators have determined the fire was human-caused, but it is still under investigation.
Fire Restrictions in the Panhandle National Forests were also lifted Sept. 1, allowing campfires, burn piles and permit burning again.
Hunters and recreationists are still urged to use caution, and campfires should never be left unattended or warm.
A slight warming trend is expected the next few days, but not back to the above-normal temperatures we experienced prior to this week’s rain and relative humidity is expected to be between 39% and 44%.