Kellogg Fire Contained, Caused By Campfire

Fire officials believe a small campfire burned out of control east of Kellogg and sparked Wednesday’s brush fire that burned more than 60 acres and forced the evacuation of a dozen homes.

The Montgomery Gulch fire two miles east of Kellogg on Interstate 90 was contained by 6 p.m. Thursday, said Jerry Hagen, fire information officer for the U.S. Forest Service. As many as 240 firefighters battled flare-ups throughout the day.

“It was man-caused,” Hagen said Thursday.

He suspects teenagers accidentally started it with a campfire about a mile north of I-90. He declined to elaborate.

The fire was detected about 2:30 p.m. on about 100 square feet of land, said Dale Costa, chief of Shoshone County Fire District 2. It spread to 65 acres within two hours.

“Before we could even get into it, it pretty much got up and ran,” Hagen said. “We were fortunate we were able to mobilize as many people as we did. It could have gone to hundreds of acres.”

Up Montgomery Gulch, homes are within 50 feet west of the road, and the fire burned right down to the road on the east side.

The fire was the first to force out homeowners this year in North Idaho, Hagen said. No buildings were damaged and residents along Montgomery Creek got back to their homes Wednesday evening.

Air tankers, which dropped five loads of pink fire retardant on Montgomery Ridge Wednesday, remained on standby Thursday, said Judy Smith, fire information officer with the Department of Lands. Helicopters continued their water drops and a bulldozer helped dig fire lines.

Officials said hot winds kept the danger high and optimism low Thursday.

“I couldn’t believe it could get drier, but it did,” Hagen said. “You keep thinking it’s going to let up, but it never does.”