Copter Douses Tubbs Blaze Pilot’s Precision Drops Help Halt Fire That Scorched 2 Acres; Arson Suspected

The largest area forest fire this season scorched 2 acres of Tubbs Hill on Saturday, and juveniles with lighters were suspected of starting the blaze.

An Idaho Department of Lands helicopter pilot, delivering precision loads of water 75 gallons at a time, was key in keeping the fire from taking over the popular city park and moving into houses that rim the north side of the hill.

The pilot leaned out of the doorless cockpit of the red, white and blue helicopter, came in low and pinpointed burning snags and brush piles. The helicopter was making runs an average of once a minute.

“The head of the fire was going pretty good and going pretty hot,” said Holly Smith, incident commander for the Department of Lands fire crew. “He was able to put that out.”

The fire was reported at noon about 500 feet up the southeastern slope of Tubbs Hill, right along the trail runners will use for the Coeur d’Alene Triathalon today. It drew crews from the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department, Kootenai County and the Department of Lands.

Gusts of wind sent intense surges of flame and smoke up the hill and had crews worried the wind would shift and send the fire into town.

An aerial tanker was kept on standby at the Deer Park airport. The Kootenai County Fire and Rescue boat pulled into the toe of Tubbs Hill and pumped lake water to firefighters dousing the blaze and wetting surrounding brush and trees to keep the fire from spreading. Crews with chain saws cut a 2-foot line around the fire, which burned about 350 feet up the hill.

The fire was contained at 1:30 p.m., Smith said.

This is only the 15th or 16th fire of the season, which is “very low,” Smith said. The Coeur d’Alene-based state firefighting crew had dealt with at least 30 blazes by this time last year.

Only three of this year’s fires have been lightning-caused. The rest were started by people, Smith said.

“Until a week ago we weren’t concerned with the fire season,” said Mike Denney, also of the Department of Lands. “A few days of 90-degree weather really dries things out.”

Tubbs Hill was lightly logged in March to pull out trees damaged by November’s ice storm. That made a big difference, Denney said.

“It really influenced the spread of the fire,” he said. “It could have gotten into the crown (of the trees) if it was not logged.”

Kenny Gabriel, of the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department, predicted crews would deal with the fire for several more hours.

He hailed the helicopter pilot, the quick work of the 911 dispatcher and the rapid response of county firefighters for getting the blaze under control.

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