Fire crews come to help with Harper's Bend blaze

9-8-05

Crews from several states are working on the 380-acre Harper's Bend Fire that started near the river Tuesday and is one mile west of Peck.

During this morning's briefing, Incident Commander Thom Hawkins, cautioned crews working on the steep terrain, "Watch your footing, be alert and heads up, and don't be complacent. We still have a lot of fire to fight."

Mary Fritz, Idaho Department of Lands said there were 223 personnel on the fire today with four engines, five dozers and four water tenders. Helicopter work was held to a minimum and the dozers are being released tonight. Crews are from Idaho, Montana, Oregon and South Dakota.

Crews have completed control lines around the perimeter of the fire. Last night they used a burnout on the east flank to burn fuels between the fire containment lines and the edge of the wildfire to "starve" the wildfire of burnable fuel and strengthen the containment lines by making them "blacklines". They also continued to patrol and mop up hot spots, Fritz said.

Today firefighters worked to continue to hold and strengthen control lines and mop up hot spots. To improve the line along the southern flank, burnout operations were conducted and were very successful, Fritz said. Temperatures were expected to be in the 90s with relative humidity in the teens to low 20s.

The blaze was 60 percent contained tonight and crews will be on patrol overnight. Mop up and putting out hot spots will continue tomorrow with the goal of full containment Saturday.

Control efforts have reduced the potential threat to residences in the area. Motorists on U.S. Highway 12 should continue to be aware of safety factors such as rolling debris, heavy smoke and fire traffic.

The fire is within the Idaho Department of Lands jurisdiction. Among those involved in the fire fighting efforts are: Idaho Department of Lands, Clearwater-Potlatch Timber Protective Association, Idaho Correctional Institute, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Nez Perce Tribe, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Rural Fire Districts, Nez Perce County and private contractors.

Photos: These fire fighters are among those working on the Harper's Bend Fire. Personnel from four states: Idaho, Montana, South Dakota and Oregon, are involved in the effort. Crews from out of state include: Crow #14 & 15 from the Crow Agency in Montana in the yellow buses; Winema Hot Shots: Klamath, OR in the white trucks; and Tatank Hot Shots from South Dakota in the green trucks. The red buses are from Idaho Correctional Institution-Orofino.