Panhandle Has Dodged Wildfire Disaster So Far Fire Officials Hope Relative Quiet Continues, Know ‘Spooky Feeling’ Could End Any Time

North Idaho fire officials are still keeping their fingers crossed.

While 87 large wildfires continue to rage in eight Western states, Idaho’s Panhandle counties have been remarkably blessed.

Some fire officials say the Panhandle has a halo. Others say it’s a disaster waiting to happen.

“It’s a spooky feeling to be the one that hasn’t gone through it yet,” said Kerry Arneson, fire information officer with the U.S. Forest Service in Coeur d’Alene.

For the past two weeks, forecasters have predicted high winds and dry lightning for the area. Luckily, they’ve been wrong most of the time, fire officials say.

However, 300 firefighters continue to battle blazes from the Canadian border to southern Shoshone County.

Wildfires continue to rage near the Canadian border and east of Lake Pend Oreille.

A 1,500-acre fire, called the Northwest Peaks Complex, is burning 40 miles northeast of Bonners Ferry. An Australian fire command crew has been assigned to the area and Canadian officials are trying to battle the fire that has closed the scenic area on the Idaho/Montana border.

“That’s pretty much in a backcountry area,” Arneson said. “The best access is from the north.”

A fire threatening a lookout at Lunch Peak, northeast of Lake Pend Oreille in the Cabinet Mountains, has increased to 205 acres. That fire, called the Nosebag Fire, is burning in steep, rocky terrain. Airplanes are dropping fire retardant and water to slow the blaze. It hasn’t reached the lookout, which is being remodeled for overnight hiker use.

So far, Bonner and Boundary counties have been hit harder than other Panhandle counties.

This year, there have been 154 fires burning 2,107 acres in North Idaho. Of those, 55 fires burning 1,980 acres were north of the Coeur d’Alene area.

Meanwhile, the rest of the state continues to see an explosion of fires.

Statewide, 28 large fires were burning more than 600,000 acres. Those large fires in southeastern and central Idaho have caused unhealthy air quality in Salmon, Idaho.

The American Red Cross is accepting donations of air purifiers from businesses across the state. Those air cleaners would go to residents in the Salmon area. For those who would like to help, call the Red Cross at (208) 664-5414.

Local officials say they don’t expect any lightning storms to set off fires during the coming days. They say the biggest culprits right now are people.

“The bulk of these are humanrelated,” Arneson said of the fires. “We’re still in the mode of trying to prevent human-caused fires.”

Meanwhile, no campfires are allowed statewide, and burning permits have been suspended until the fire danger decreases.