07/31/2024
Wildfire Alert: Gwen Fire – Current as of 9:00 AM PT on 7/31/2024
Idaho Department of Lands sent this bulletin at 07/31/2024 10:58 AM MDT
Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team Three
Bill Waln, Incident Commander
Location: 5 miles east Lapwai, Idaho
Date Reported: July 24, 2024
Cause: Lightning
Size: 28,805 acres
Containment: 34%
Total Personnel: 269
JOIN US FOR A COMMUNITY MEETING IN DEARY at the Deary Volunteer Fire Department at 301 2nd Ave in Deary, ID, or tune in for the live stream on the Idaho Department of Lands page.
Current Situation: (Refer to the map for Division locations)
Firefighters took advantage of the break in the weather and were able to make good progress in finding and extinguishing hot spots in all areas of the fire yesterday. Containment increased to 34 percent. The containment areas can be seen on the map where the perimeter line is black instead of red.
Today in areas of the fire that are uncontained, crews will be cold trailing. Cold trailing is a process where firefighters inspect and feel heat with their hands, if needed, to make sure no hotspots remain on the fireline that could compromise containment.
In Division Foxtrot on the northeast side of the fire, crews continue to work in the Pine Creek drainage where large logs and vegetation is still holding heat. They will be supported by aviation resources if needed.
Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) or drones will be utilized today to catalog firelines that have been constructed for suppression efforts as well as identifying hotspots using infrared capabilities.
The Structure Protection Group will continue to work along the Highway 12 corridor and Tom Beall Road. Please allow for more time when traveling on the highways through the fire area. Hazards remain in and around the fire footprint.
The structure group is also working to secure pockets of unburned fuel within the fire perimeter. If this unburned vegetation would ignite it would pose a threat to homes and structures inside the fire perimeter.
Evacuations:
EVACUATIONS LEVELS HAVE CHANGED - ALL EVACUATIONS ARE IN AT A LEVEL 1 Please continue to check with your local Sheriff’s office. Fire hazards are still a possibility in these areas.
Latah County Sheriff’s Office: Go to https://www.facebook.com/LatahCountySO, or call (208) 882-2216 for questions on evacuations.
Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office: Information on evacuations is provided on their page at https://www.facebook.com/NezPerceCountySheriffsOffice.
Nez Perce County Emergency Management Interactive Evacuation Map: https://bit.ly/3yewVv0
Air Quality Information:
Please visit https://fire.airnow.gov/ for resources on smoke and air quality. Air quality monitors indicate unhealthy for sensitive groups in the Lapwai area.
Weather and Fire Behavior:
Expect clear skies, increased temperatures at low to mid-90s, and northeast winds at 2-5 mph in the morning changing to southwest at 3-7 mph after 10:00 a.m. Conditions are expected to get hotter and drier this weekend with a decrease in relative humidity and a potential for increased fire behavior.
Closures:
ALL ROADS AND HIGHWAYS ARE NOW OPEN TO PUBLIC TRAFFIC. Hazards remain along the highway, please use extreme caution when traveling in and around the fire area.
Latah County's Sheriff's Office is a full service law enforcement agency serving Latah County, Idaho.
