Fire danger shuts down access to North Idaho forests

Access to thousands of acres of public forestland in North Idaho will closed beginning Sunday as a result of extreme fire danger. The closure is for lands managed by the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and state endowment forest land. The closure affects lands north of Interstate 90 to Forest Road 332, which is an extension of Bunco Road, and from U.S. Highway 95 to the Idaho-Montana border. “Our concern is folks getting trapped behind fires,” said Shoshana Cooper, acting public affairs director for the Idaho Panhandle National Forests. At least 30 fires are burning in the area, and there may be more. The recent cloud cover has prevented the agencies from flying over the forest to count new starts. Weekend weather forecasts call for conditions that could cause fires to spread quickly, including lightning and gusty winds. The cloud inversion, which has been acting as a cap on the fires, is expected to lift, Cooper said. About a week ago, public land agencies in North Idaho issued voluntary restrictions asking members of the public to stay out of the woods. “We had incidents where we were finding people back in there,” Cooper said. “We were having firefighters having to go in and look for people.” The closure will remain in effect until further notice. Violators can be fined from $150 to $5,000, depending on the offense. Fire officials said the closure is not an evacuation order for people who have private property in the area. However, they must get credentials to get through fire barriers. To receive credentials, people should bring proof of residency or property ownership to the Coeur d’Alene River Ranger District offices in Fernan or Smelterville. Offices will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through the weekend, and regular business hours during the week. Some road and recreation areas are exempt from the closure. These include: -English Point Recreation Area near Hayden Lake, and Mokins Bay Campground. -Shoshone County Airport. -The North Fork Coeur d’Alene River Road from Kingston to Shoshone Base Camp. -Wallace Forest Conservation Area at Blue Creek Bay. -State Highway 9 from Prichard to Thompson Pass. -Forest Road 332 between Bunco Road and Forest Road 278. -Beaver Creek Road (FR 456), Dobson Pass Road, and 9 Mile Creek Road, between Babins Junction and Wallace.