Idaho wildfire season shifting into forests

BOISE, Idaho — Seventeen large fires burned in Idaho on Saturday as fire managers began to contend with the fire season moving from grasslands into forests.

"Over the last two weeks we've started to see large forest fires become established in the Rockies of Montana, Idaho, and the Cascades and Sierras," said Ken Frederick, spokesman for the Boise-based National Interagency Fire Center.

One of those is the four-fire Cascade Complex, located in the Boise National Forest 16 miles northeast of Cascade. Along with other fires, it has closed roads leading to the forest community of Yellow Pine and forced the cancellation of the Yellow Pine Harmonica Festival this weekend for the first time in the event's 18-year history.

It has burned about 80 square miles and was 23 percent contained.

"We're getting some winds and higher humidity today," Pete Jankowski, a fire information officer, told The Associated Press on Saturday. "We've had some increase in fire activity."

He said 939 managers and firefighters were assigned to the blaze which was burning in timber, mainly pine trees, and that they were working to prevent the fire from moving north and west toward populated areas, including Yellow Pine.

Jankowski said there were no evacuations in the area.

Nearby, the three-fire East Zone Complex burning about 25 miles northeast of McCall in timber and grass was being whipped by winds.

"All three fires have picked up activity," said George Broyles, fire information officer. "It's still within our containment lines, and we're looking at holding it in."

He said two small communities, Warren and Secesh, were in the path of the fires but were still about five miles away. He said both communities are in valleys, and that firefighters have been clearing brush from homes.

"If the fire gets there it will be backing downhill," Broyles said. "We've got a high confidence level of stopping it before it gets to those communities."

But he said gusty winds were making conditions tricky for firefighters on Saturday, and that lookouts on high points and in an airplane were watching for possible dangerous situations, such as a spot fire starting in front of the main fire that could cut off firefighters from a safe area.

He said the fire was about 60 square miles and 20 percent contained, with about 800 people assigned to the blaze.

Frederick said it was normal this time of year for fires to start moving into forests, but that they were more difficult to control than grassland fires.

"We're starting to see more longer-duration fires occurring now, fires getting into steep, healthy timber areas," he said. "We'll be fighting these for some weeks to come."