‘Get Set’ fire alert issued for Orogrande

The Idaho County Sheriff’s Office issued a Level 2, or “Get Set” alert for Orogrande on Tuesday evening after the lightning-caused Williams Creek Fire, located about 5 miles west of the community, ballooned to 4,905 acres.

The Northern Rockies Team 5 under the leadership of Incident Commander Joe Sampson assumed command Tuesday morning of the Williams Creek and Twin Lakes fires, both located in the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest.

The Williams Creek Fire started Aug. 29 and there currently is no estimate of when it will be completed, according to a news release. There are 80 engines, three helicopters and two hand crews assigned to the blaze.

The crews are working on structure protection around the communities of Orogrande, Concord and Humptown with hoselays and sprinklers. Crews are also watching the Crooked River corridor, scouting existing road and trail systems for future opportunities to assist with containing fire movement.

The Twin Lakes Fire, east of Twin Lakes and Hagen Creek in the Gospel Hump Wilderness, is at 752 acres, also with no completion date in sight.

It was first detected Aug. 25 and firefighters have completed structure protection at Square Mountain Lookout.

Firefighters expect gusty winds and low relative humidity to result in critical fire weather conditions for the next couple of days. Southwest winds may gust up to 35 miles per hour and thunderstorms without measurable precipitation are also expected in the afternoon and evening hours.

Road and trail closures to protect the public and provide for safe firefighting efforts and access are expected to be forthcoming.

Elsewhere in the forest, the Lower Twin Fire located about 20 miles northeast of Headquarters is about 220 acres with moderate fire activity.

The Wallow Fire about 25 miles northeast of Headquarters is around 350 acres and has prompted a few road and trail closures in the vicinity.

The Van Camp Fire is located about 15 miles northeast of Syringa and is burning 740 acres. It, also, continues to impact several roads and trails and some closures are in place.

The North Idaho Idaho Type 3 Incident Management Team 2 assumed command of Prospect Fire, located 8 miles north of Harvard, on Tuesday morning. Idaho Department of Lands resources determined that the cause of the fire to be a single lightning strike that passed through the area late Saturday.

The fire is estimated at 200 acres and is 0% contained. It is burning on industrial timber land in an area where a completed forest operation had occurred and heavy logging slash was collected for the fall burning season under the Idaho Forest Practices Act.

The fire grew Monday as slash piles and heavy fuels continued to ignite. The intensity of the burning did not allow direct ground engagement by fire crews. Fixed wing aviation resources were successful, however, in providing retardant and water drops to support the ground crews.

A firefighter on the Prospect Fire was injured Tuesday morning and was transported to a local hospital for treatment. The firefighter is an employee of a contracted firefighting company and no further information on the person’s condition was available Tuesday afternoon.

The Jones Fires, located about 21 miles northwest of Riggins on the east side of Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, grew to about 4,000 acres Tuesday, burning mainly in grass.

The fire is burning in areas managed by the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, Idaho Department of Lands and the Bureau of Land Management. The protection of lives and property are the primary objectives of this incident.

A Type 2 Incident Management Team has been ordered to the Jones Fire. The public is asked to avoid this area. Until further notice, Big Canyon Road will be closed at Pittsburg Landing. The Pittsburg Landing campground and Deer Creek Road will remain open at this time.

The Double Creek Fire in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest grew to 53,539 acres Monday afternoon and is 0% contained. There are 580 personnel assigned to the lightning-caused fire and the protection of lives and property remain the primary objectives of the campaign.

It is located along Hat Point Road near Grizzly Ridge and evacuation notices were issued Tuesday in several locations. Trail and road closures also are in effect.

There are four lightning-caused fires in the Eagle Cap Wilderness, the largest of which is the Sturgill Fire at 14,262 acres and 0% contained.

An air quality advisory was issued Tuesday for the Nez Perce Reservation.

Because of wildfire smoke from local and regional fires no further burn permits will be approved until further notice. The air quality is currently ranging from the moderate to unhealthy categories of the air quality index.

Hedberg may be contacted at khedberg@lmtribune.com.