Summer fire season has arrived

Firefighters responded to new blazes across north central Idaho and southeastern Washington on Tuesday.

Crews worked to suppress a quickly growing fire near Red River Hot springs on the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest, one on state and private land near Grangeville, another just east of Lewiston and a fourth about 16 miles southwest of Asotin.

The U.S. Forest Service is calling in a Type 3 Incident Management Team today to direct firefighting efforts on the 600-acre Schissler Fire. The fire started Monday night about 2 miles south of the commercial hot springs resort and about 2 miles east of Red River Meadows where there are several private cabins and other structures. The fire is about 12 miles southeast of Elk City.

According to a news release from the agency, fire managers plan to use air tankers to drop retardant on the blaze and heavy equipment to build lines between the flames and structures in the area. The fire was first listed at just 60 to 80 acres in size Tuesday morning but the estimate ballooned to 600 acres by about 7 p.m. There is extensive beetle kill in much of the lodgepole pine stands in the area around Red River that pose significant fire danger but information on the type of vegetation the fire was burning in was not available Tuesday.

Firefighters from the Forest Service and the Idaho Department of Lands are working together to battle the Transfer Fire on the Mount Idaho Grade east of Grangeville. The fire started Monday night and had grown to about 30 acres by Tuesday evening. There are several residences in the vicinity.

The Idaho Department of Lands deployed several fire engines to the area and the Forest Service sent two engines and a crew of ground-based firefighters. More firefighters are expected to arrive today.

Fire managers haven’t said what caused the two fires but both occurred following a lightning storm that swept across north central Idaho Monday. Much of the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest is rated as either very high or extreme for fire danger because of the recent hot weather.

Agency officials are asking people working and recreating in the forest to use caution with any activity that can cause a spark or start a fire. There are no fire restrictions on the forest.

The Umatilla National Forest, Washington Department of Natural Resources and Asotin County Fire District No. 1 each sent an engine to a fire in Morris Canyon off of Cloverland Road. The fire, roughly 16 miles southwest of Asotin and 7 miles west of Anatone, had grown to about 30 acres, said Noel Hardin, chief of Asotin County Fire District. He said three 20- person hand crews have been ordered and firefighters also sought air support.On the Chief Timothy Fire west of Clarkston, firefighters worked to secure lines around the blaze Tuesday and to snuff out hot spots. The fire, which spread from a motor home that caught fire along Wawawai Road Sunday afternoon, has burned an estimated 1,400 acres on the north side of the river across from Chief Timothy Park.

The fire was 80 percent contained Tuesday, according Gayne Sears, a spokeswoman for the Northeast Washington Incident Management Team.

Fire Crews from the Nez Perce Tribe snuffed a 1.5-acre fire on Wild Rose Grade west of Sweetwater Tuesday. The fire was started by a downed power line.

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