Some fire restrictions in region being eased

An area closed by wildfires southeast of Republic on the Colville National Forest was reopened on Wednesday.

The temporary emergency closure issued for the Thirteen Mile and Hall Creek area on the Republic Ranger District east of SR 21 and south of U.S. 20 (Sherman Highway) has been lifted, officials say.  

This re-opens the southern portion of the Kettle Crest, as well as the Snow Peak Cabin area.

Swan, Ferry and Long Lake campgrounds remain closed. Most of the structures in this popular camping and fishing area south of Republic were saved, but the fires moved through the areas and burned some spots hotter than others, said Franklin Pemberton, forest spokesman.

The northern portion of the Kettle Crest remains closed from U.S. 20 north to the U.S.-Canada border.

Also closed is much of the area north, east and south of Sullivan Lake, including the Salmo-Priest Wilderness and access to Pass Creek Pass.

“There’s still a lot of fire-fighting activity in that area,” Pemberton said. “But hunters and hikers should keep checking in with the ranger districts on all the forests because things can change quickly.  We’re still chasing fires in the Slate Creek and Hall Mountain areas, but it’s possible that some of those areas near Sullivan could reopen later this week.”

Sullivan Lake and its campgrounds have remained open throughout the season, he said.

Forest and fire managers are continuing to assess hazards in each of our temporary area closures daily and will determine when it is appropriate to reopen areas currently closed. “It is my intent to reopen access to public lands as soon as it is safe to do so,” said Rodney Smoldon, acting forest supervisor. 

“Each day we evaluate whether the risks to firefighters and the public have been removed or mitigated.  As conditions change, we will modify the closures accordingly.” 

Late last week, the forest reopened closed areas near Bead Lake northeast of Newport, Baldy Mountain near Ione and Vulcan Mountain in northwestern Ferry County.

In the remaining closure areas, there is active fire burning in heavy fuels and firefighters and aircraft continue to work in these areas. A number of these burned areas will have new hazards including weakened burned trees, burning stump holes covered in ash, unstable soils, and changed road and trail conditions.   In some cases, rehabilitation operations have begun and closures are needed due to heavy equipment working in the area.  It is likely that some closures may remain in place through winter.

For more information on a specific area, including maps and closure orders, visit the Colville National Forest homepage. Expect some delays in postings of some area openings, since Forest Service staff is stretched very thin.

“Our web guy is out on a fire right now,” Pemberton said on Wednesday.