Editor's note: This story has been corrected to clarify the direction of the wind.

HOPE — While thunderstorms and high winds are expected to hit the North Idaho this week, the predicted storms are not raising alarm bells for the U.S. Forest Service crews fighting the Lightning Creek Fire, according USFS fire information officer Kary Maddox.

Maddox said that while wind is always a concern, the significant amount of rain expected will aid fire crews. The expected 20 MPH wind speeds for tomorrow were described as "gusty, but not hazardous" by Maddox and should blow from the south, away from the towns in the region.

There is expected to be between 0.25 to 0.5 inches of rainfall from today to Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. 

“Last week’s heavy rain that was predicted did not come, so we are always careful this time of year when counting on rain,” Maddox said. “Even if we do get that rain, the impact that it will have on the fire, is going to vary depending on where we are talking about.” 

The Lightning Creek Fire has grown quickly since it was reported July 30, thanks to storm systems and a large amount of fuel from burn snags left over from the Cougar Fire in 2018. Maddox said the rainfall will be able to help the edges of the fire, but its help in putting out the snags will be limited. 

“In some areas those snags, and other fuels are 6 feet or 8 feet deep, which is why it grew as quickly as it did,” Maddox said. “So, there’s less fuel loading further up ... so the rain would have more of an impact there.” 

Another small wildfire, named Steep Creek, was reported near the Lightning Creek Fire, but Maddox said that crews are not concerned about it spreading because of the remote location of the fire. 

As for the concern of lightning sparking more wildfires, Maddox said that those are normal and that crews in the area are adept at putting them out before they grow past a tenth of an acre. 

“Fire behavior in most places is a little bit lower than most years,” Maddox said. “The reason that the Lightning Creek Fire grew is because of where it started.”  

Currently, the size of the fire sits at 2,417 acres and 0% containment, according to Selkirk Fire Rescue and EMS. There are 79 total personnel fighting the fire. Maddox said that the storms should not impact containment efforts on the Lightning Creek Fire. 

“Rain is almost always a good thing, the only time it's not is if we have high intensity burn scars where we have a danger of a landslide, which I have not heard of,” Maddox said. “Firefighters continue to work in the rain; they would be welcoming it.”