Hoping to make progress on fires before heat returns

Firefighters across eastern Washington and northern Idaho are racing to take advantage of cooler temperatures and higher humidities before more August-like weather returns.

The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat watch for much of the region and is calling for temperatures well above 100 by the weekend.

But the high in Lewiston was just 87 degrees Monday.

“We are in a little lull period between the last cold front and when temperatures get hot and dry. So we’ve got two days of really favorable fire weather to take advantage of,” said Brad Pietruszka, operations section chief for the Rocky Mountain Black Team working to corral the 23,126-acre Green Ridge Fire.

The blaze started July 7 about 17 miles south of Dayton and initially progressed south into the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness Area. But on Saturday, the fire made a run to the east and north and reached the secured lines of the Lick Creek Fire southwest of Asotin. It raced up Sheep Creek and the steep slopes of the upper Tucannon River and hit the Lick Creek burn area near Clearwater Lookout and Teal Spring Campground.

The fire also spotted over the 4022 Road, also known as the 22 Road. For the past two days, firefighters have been working to control those spot fires and connect a line between the Lick Creek burn area and the end of the 22 Road to prevent the blaze from moving north toward Stentz Spring.

Fire Information Officer Brant Porter said crews were able to line many of the spot fires Monday but they also found more that need attention. Winds were calm Monday and fire activity was moderate.

Porter said the priority is to block the fire from moving north. The blaze is slowly creeping southeast along the Lick Creek fire scar and lines.

“Creeping is really a good word for it,” Porter said. “It’s not taken off down that way. It’s passing from downed tree to duff to the next thing, really, really slowly moving southeast along Lick Creek (fire area).”

The team will hold a public meeting tonight, starting at 7 p.m. at Pomeroy High School. The meeting will also be streamed on the Green Ridge Fire Facebook page at facebook.com/greenridgefire2021/.

Crews working on the dozens of fires on the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest also took advantage of the favorable weather and are racing to secure lines before hot weather and unstable winds return.

“We are thankful for the weather break,” said forest Supervisor Cheryl Probert. “But it did not end fire season. Our fighters are doing an amazing job, but their work is not done. We cannot become complacent.”

The fire season is expected to continue for weeks and maybe months, according to a news release from the forest. Several fire closures remain in effect. Up-to-date information on individual fires and closures is available at bit.ly/3kVP7As.

“With this week’s weather predictions and long-term forecasts, we are in a wait-and-see mode,” Probert said. “Restrictions and closures will be modified or rescinded as soon as it is deemed safe to do so.”

Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2273. Follow him on Twitter @ezebarker.