Idaho woman killed preparing to flee wild fire

The gusting wind overnight may have brought lower temperatures and cleared out the smoky shroud that clung to the Spokane area, but it fanned the flames of several regional fires, forcing new evacuations as flames jumped roads and rivers. Melissa Fox, niece of Dean Fox, told The Oregonian/OregonLive that her uncle decided to stay with his wife to try to save their home despite an evacuation order. About 300 firefighters from throughout the region are working the fire, Zoutendijk said. A handful of other states have similar programs, but California’s program is by far the largest, with roughly 4,000 participants.

Containment of the Jerusalem fire inched up from 50 to 52 percent between Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

The Great Basin Team (Type 1) will take command of the fire Sunday. The crash site was discovered as firefighters were responding to several fires that popped up Thursday afternoon. He estimated around 20 structures have been destroyed in one of the fires, and fire officials said as many as 100 homes may have burned in all, NBC station KHQ in Spokane reported.

Berlant said a portion of the new fire’s northern edge merged with the huge blaze. Five small lighting fires grew into the Reach Fire.

Progress was slow-going Friday, with crews stalling the Jerusalem fire’s expansion yet struggling to expand firebreaks.

Some rain on Friday fell around the wildfire, which has burned almost 21 square miles in Glacier.

“There’s an assembly where we have a formation in the mornings and it was like my second or third day and the lieutenant comes out and he goes, ‘Look, we’ll treat you like men first, firefighters second, and prisoners if we have to, ‘” he said last July.

The complex now consists of approximately nine known fires in the Hyampom and Corral Bottom areas.

“We need additional air resources to increase our comfort”, Beverlin said. “The other is heading into the Nyack drainage to check on the patrol cabins”.

Fire spokeswoman Karen Stasko yesterday said the fire in Lake and Napa counties was 33 per cent contained, up from 16 per cent the previous day. No details were available about that blaze at press time. An emergency road closure has been signed for public and firefighter safety.

According to an InciWeb update, the Lawyer Complex fires are wrapping around the east side of U.S. Highway 12, from Frasure Grade south to Nikesa Creek. Current resources include 10 firefighters which were flown in yesterday and one helicopter which is assisting with bucket work to help control the spread. According to InciWeb, a fire in Alaska at 330,000 acres is the largest, but the Soda Fire at 277,278 acres is the largest wildfire in the continental United States.

Cal Fire also announced Friday that the Wragg fire, which consumed 8,051 acres in Napa and Solano counties, was caused by vehicle exhaust.

About 24 miles northeast of Libby, the Weigel fire was burning about 120 acres in lodgepole timber Friday.