Fires roar near Clearwater River

A fast-spreading wildfire ripped through the Juliaetta and Clearwater River areas Thursday, resulting in a “go now” evacuation order for several small communities and the closure of U.S. Highway 12.

The Gwen Fire was burning north of the Clearwater River in the area around Juliaetta while the River Fire was burning near several small towns along the Clearwater River and spreading south of the river. The fires were estimated at 2,000 acres apiece, according to the Idaho Department of Lands.

Juliaetta, Myrtle, the Cherrylane area and several pockets of rural residences were placed under Level 3 evacuation orders, meaning people were advised to leave immediately. Multiple structures were burned, according to IDL, but it wasn’t known how many Thursday evening.

U.S. Highway 12 from Spalding Bridge to the Peck turnoff — a 24-mile stretch — was closed in the afternoon and remained closed into the evening Thursday. A spokesperson for IDL said the highway was unlikely to be opened “any time soon.”

Idaho Highway 3 south of Juliaetta is also closed, as are several roadways in the evacuation area.

The fires were likely caused by lightning strikes Wednesday evening, and really took off Thursday afternoon thanks to heat and wind.

Fire crews, air tankers, helicopters, bulldozers and engines have been deployed. An incident management team has been requested, but it’s not certain when that group will take over, according to Robbie Johnson of IDL.

The Nez Perce Tribe, Idaho Department of Lands, area rural fire departments and local landowners are fighting the fires.

Beyond the “go now” evacuation area is a Level 2 area. People there are advised to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.

Evacuation relief sites for Latah County include the Latah County Fair and Events Center, where the barns will be open for animals and the carnival area is open for RVs, trailers and vehicles. Other evacuation sites include Troy High School and the LDS Church off Big Mountain Road.

The Nez Perce County Fairgrounds is open for animals and RV hookups are also available, along with showers and restrooms. The Asotin County Fairgrounds are available for livestock. The Lewiston Roundup Grounds remains open for evacuees including livestock.

Back In The Saddle Disaster Relief Team is also coordinating animal transportation and housing needs for those affected by the evacuations.

The Methodist Church in Lapwai is also providing a shelter.

Updates on current evacuation orders and emergency assistance can be found on the Nez Perce County Emergency Management, facebook.com/NPCEmergencyManagement, and Latah County Sheriff’s Office Facebook pages, facebook.com/LatahCountySO.

The Gwen and River fires were the most dramatic results of lightning storms Wednesday evening, but there were others.

The storms swept northwest from Hells Canyon to the Idaho-Montana state line, knocking over trees, causing power outages, blocking roads and starting wildfires.

U.S. Highway 12 between Kooskia and Lolo Pass was blocked by falling rocks and trees for a time Wednesday night. Elk Summit Road was also temporarily blocked by falling trees. The Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest closed Wendover and Whitehouse campgrounds along the Lochsa River because of the threat of falling trees and limbs weakened by the storm. Forest officials warned forest visitors may find ridge-top roads and trails blocked by windfall and said the remote Moose Creek Ranger Station in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area was damaged by falling trees.

National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Conlan said maximum wind gusts between 50 and 60 mph were recorded on the Camas Prairie and in the Clearwater River Valley. Missoula, Mont., was hit with 90-to-100-mph wind gusts that toppled scores of trees and caused wide-spread power outages.

“It was the perfect storm as it came over the Clearwater Mountains and came back down into the valley,” he said. “It’s going to take days to clean up that mess.”

A wind gust of 88 mph was reported by a remote automatic weather station at Corral Creek on Craig Mountain south of Lewiston.

Jim Wimer, a fire information officer with the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest, said fire managers are tracking smoke and fire reports and that they are likely to continue to come in over the next few days. He said 3,000 lightning strikes were recorded in northern Idaho and Montana but many areas also received rain. The strikes started fires from Riggins to Deary. Wimer said more can be expected to pop up.

“It only takes a day or two to dry out from that rain and we expect to have some holdover and sleeper fires popping up. In the meantime, we will focus our effort down in the canyons and help our partners.”

Baney may be contacted at mbaney@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2262. Follow him on X @MattBaney_Trib. Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2273. Follow him on X @ezebarker.