Fire burns an acre on Potlatch Hill
BILL BULEY | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 weeks, 2 days AGO
A fire burns above Fernan Lake on Wednesday evening.
BILL BULEY/Press
Bill Buley covers the city of Coeur d'Alene for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He has worked here since January 2020, after spending seven years on Kauai as editor-in-chief of The Garden Island newspaper. He enjoys running. | July 29, 2026 9:45 PM
Two helicopters scooped water out of Fernan Lake to knock down a 1-acre fire on Potlatch Hill on Wednesday evening.
"They put a good stop on it," said Coeur d'Alene Fire Department Fire Marshal Craig Etherton.
Crews with Coeur d'Alene, Kootenai Fire and Rescue and the Idaho Department of Lands responded to the blaze that was reported about 6:35 p.m.
About 100 people at the Fernan Lake boat launch watched the helicopters soar up and down from the lake to collect and drop water until they were called off due to darkness about 8:45 p.m.
Fire crews were digging a fire line around the blaze late Wednesday, and chain saws could be heard from across the lake.
While the fire was contained, Etherton said tenders were en rout with more water.
Etherton said no structures were threatened and there was no need for evacuations in the area.
The cause of the fire has not been determined. Etherton said investigators expect to return to the scene Thursday morning.
ARTICLES BY BILL BULEY
North Idaho State Fair begins 10-day run at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds
North Idaho State Fair begins 10-day run at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds
A Fair reminder of what matters
I feel the same way about Coeur d'Alene. Those mornings when I seem to be the only person running on Tubbs Hill, or I'm biking on the North Idaho Centennial Trail, I think to myself, "Wow. I live here. How lucky am I?"
