Trinity Ridge Fire Update 8_17_2012 0700
Incident: Trinity Ridge Fire Wildfire
Released: 8/17/2012
There will be a community meeting today at 10:30am at the Pine Senior Center.
There will be a community meeting in Idaho City today at 6:00 p.m. at the Idaho City Community Hall. Fire managers will be present to give an overview of the fire and answer questions.
Residents will have another opportunity today to access their property between the hours of 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. The Elmore County Sheriff re-evaluated the mandatory road closure and has extended the window of opportunity for residents to access their property. Residents wishing to access their property should do so early in the day. The road closure status will be re-evaluated throughout the day as fire conditions change.
Roads to Atlanta remain closed to all traffic except for fire support personnel.
Today's Events:
Firefighters will continue to focus on structure protection in the Featherville and Pine areas today. They will also begin constructing a hand line on the north side of Pine today at the Pine/Featherville Road towards the ridge running west to Dog Mountain. Pine is currently not threatened by the fire. The purpose of the hand line is to be prepared for a possible burn out. The fire is approximately 5 miles away from Featherville, 15 miles from Pine and 5 miles away from Atlanta.
The fire has moved to the northwest near Barber Flat and is nearing the North Fork of the Boise River. To the north, crews will continue to address protection needs in Atlanta and at the Swanholm Lookout.
Structure protection engines prepared yesterday by doing a fire simulation exercise in the Featherville area to familiarize themselves with the community in the event they are needed.
Persistent hot and dry weather and increased winds made it difficult for firefighters to work on the perimeter over much of the fire yesterday. The fire burned around Rocky Bar; however no structures have been damaged and firefighters remain in place.
Closures and Public Safety:
Evacuations: Dutch Creek, Swanholm, Weatherby and Queen River Campground have all been evacuated. Those with respiratory health conditions in Atlanta are advised to evacuate the area. Many roads are currently closed as outlined in the Boise National Forest Trinity Ridge Fire Road Closure Order Number 0402-00-21 signed by Boise Forest Supervisors on August 10th, 2012.
The road closure is in effect at the following locations:
-Intersection of Highway 20 and FH 61 (Pine-Featherville Rd)
-Intersection of Lester Creek Rd and Lake Creek Rd
- Forest Service road to the Shake Creek Guard Station East of Featherville, ID.
The roads, as described above, enter into areas with ongoing wildfire activity. The area is closed for public safety and protection from hazards associated with wildfire.
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