Wildfire season continues

Fire season is not really done yet, in spite of recent rains which have temporarily knocked back the danger.

Warily eyeing this week’s weather forecast, which calls for a stretch of several hot summer days, local fire managers caution folks to maintain their vigilance as the 2019 fire season winds down.

“We are still in High fire danger with some warm weather ahead,” Plains/Thompson Falls Ranger District Fire Management Officer Scott Schrenk said earlier this week. “We expect that we could still get some new starts, and are ready to respond if we do.”

The Plains/Thompson Falls RD was the only local fire control agency to pick up any new fires last week. Firefighters responded to and put out a one-tenth acre fire near Outlaw Lake last weekend. That fire was reportedly human-caused.

Five firefighters hiked into that fire Saturday and hiked out Monday morning when it was declared 100% out.

As Schrenk indicated the fire danger has been lowered to High after several weeks at Very High, mostly due to recent rains that have visited the area.

For current information on local wildfires, please visit the Sanders County Wildland Fire Information page on Facebook.