Salmon River stretch reopened to rafters, now allowed to float through fire zone

The Tepee Springs fire is still burning, but based on current fire activity, the unprecedented closure of 17.78 miles of the Salmon River upstream of Riggins has been lifted as of 6 a.m. today. Also, rafters are being allowed to resume launching at Corn Creek to float the Main Salmon. Restrictions remain, however: They’re being allowed to float through to Riggins, beyond the usual takeout points at Carey Creek and Vinegar Creek, adding more than 20 miles to the multi-day float trip. After floating through the fire zone on the previously closed section, they’ll take out at Shorts Bar east of Riggins, which has been reopened only for parking and launching; the campground and day-use areas there remain closed. “After serious analysis of the current and near-future conditions surrounding the fire’s activity by the Incident Management Team, the BLM is able to rescind the emergency closure.” said Will Runnoe, Cottonwood field manager for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. “We appreciate the patience of the recreational users of the Salmon River during this emergency situation. We are pleased to open the river; however users must follow the short-term restrictions set in place as we continue to monitor the fire situation.” Among them: The main Salmon River Road remains closed by the Idaho County Sheriff for firefighting operations and associated dangers related to the fire along the roadway, including burning debris, falling rocks and snags. This closure includes the regular takeout locations at Carey Creek and Vinegar Creek. All rafters are being required to stop at Shepp Ranch as they float down the Main Salmon, where a river guard will be posted to update them on conditions, restrictions, and safely passing through the fire zone. Though the fire remains officially only 20 percent contained, firefighters made good progress on it yesterday; a new tally isn’t yet available due to cloud cover. Both ground and air crews hit it hard yesterday, and the southwestern and southeastern flanks of the fire are now contained and are in a patrol status, as hotshot crews work on the southern flank of the fire today to complete containment in that area. Structure protection in the Florence area will continue today, and work is continuing in the French Creek area to keep the fire on the south side of the river. There are now more than 1,000 people firefighting the Tepee Springs fire. It was sparked by lightning on the morning of Aug. 12, and last Saturday jumped the Salmon River in a several-mile-wide run driven by high, gusting winds in the Allison Creek area and grew by 30,000 acres in a single day. The wildfire’s advance was so ferocious that firefighters had to leave the area until the wind died down; fire officials said it was too dangerous for them to be near the river. By contrast, the outlook now is much better. The fire made no significant movement yesterday, and most promising of all: Today’s forecast calls for rain on the majority of the blaze.