Lenore residents evacuated as fire threatens

Residents of Lenore, about 15 miles west of Orofino, were told by the Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office to immediately evacuate late Wednesday afternoon after a newly ignited fire grew rapidly.

Winds of 15-20 mph pushed the flames in the Bedrock Creek Canyon toward the town at an alarming rate.

“Please stay away from the area if you do not live in Lenore,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release. “The fire is growing rapidly. … Residents and structures from Bedrock Road to Lenore Grade to the Clearwater River of Lenore need to be placed in the GO stage and evacuate NOW,” the sheriff’s office notice said. “Sunnyside Bench Road to the county line is being placed in the READY stage. Please prepare to evacuate.”

The blaze, last estimated at 400 acres, ignited Wednesday afternoon north of Lenore and is burning in primarily agriculture land in Bedrock Creek Canyon.

Sharla Arledge, spokeswoman for the Idaho Department of Lands, said the fire was reported at about 1:05 p.m. Wednesday and at first did not appear to be threatening the community of Lenore. The notice to evacuate came about two hours later.

By Wednesday afternoon, seven engines, four airplanes and two helicopters were attacking the fire. The Nez Perce tribal fire department, Idaho Department of Lands and Nez Perce County agencies were also on the scene.

Nick Woods, spokesman for the Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office, said multiple deputies were on the scene urging residents to evacuate. Roads around the area also were closed, as well as the Lenore bridge. Besides residents of Lenore, those living on Hanks Road and Sunnyside Bench Road also were put on the “Go” order late Wednesday, meaning immediate evacuation.

Woods said at this time it is unknown how the fire started, but the cause is under investigation.

Scott Phillips, policy and communications chief for the Idaho Department of Lands, said late Wednesday that people are being asked to not fly drones over the area to get a “bird’s eye view.”

“This is super important,” Phillips said. “When drones are flying (firefighting) aircraft cannot take to the air, and that puts lives and property at risk.”

The department is updating the fire status on its Facebook page, he said. Evacuees are welcome to come to the Lenore Community Center on U.S. Highway 12.

Avista reported seven outages in the Lenore area, affecting 26 customers.

Elsewhere, cooler weather and intermittent rain showers earlier in the week helped firefighters get a grasp on the numerous fires throughout the region, and the majority of the fires have shown minimal growth or activity.

Jim Wimer, public information specialist for the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest, said these conditions will allow incoming incident management organizations “a good starting point for their operations as they navigate through the month of August.”

Current road, trail and area closures can be found on the forest website. The forest fire information hotline at (208) 494-1661 is staffed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, and fire restrictions and official closure orders are available at fs.usda.gov/detail/nezperceclearwater/home/?cid=fsm91_055753.

Current fire activity includes:

The Swanson Creek Fire 20 miles northeast of Pierce is estimated at 600 acres. Steep, inaccessible terrain is making suppression difficult.

The Cougar Rock Complex 30 miles northeast of Orofino is at 8,353 acres and is 42 percent contained.

The Lynx Fire at 4,900 acres is located 23 miles east of Elk City, and minimal fire behavior and growth has been reported over the last several days.

The Dixie-Jumbo Fire’s total acreage is around 46,000 acres and is 59 percent contained. It is located 15 miles south of Elk City. The evacuation notice for the communities of Dixie and Comstock that was issued earlier in the fire season by the Idaho County Sheriff’s Office was rescinded Tuesday.

The Greenside Butte Fire is at 725 acres, located 8 miles southwest of Fish Lake Airstrip in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness.

The Granite Pass Complex located near Lolo on two national forests is at 5,739 acres and is 15 percent contained.

The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality ended an air pollution forecast and caution Wednesday for residents of Nez Perce, Lewis, Clearwater and Idaho counties. Burning restrictions were lifted because of improved air quality, the agency said. Air quality is in the “good” category and is forecast to remain there. The pollutant of concern is fire particulate matter at PM2.5.

Hedberg may be contacted at kathyhedberg@gmail.com or (208) 983-2326.