By EXPRESS STAFF and ASSOCIATED PRESS
Strong winds and dry weather contributed to the spread of several forest fires burning to the north and west of Stanley over the weekend.
The Trail Creek Fire, burning near Loon Creek in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, grew about 1,400 acres since late last week to about 33,600 acres, the U.S. Forest Service reported Tuesday. The fire continues to be fueled by beetle-killed trees. Fire suppression efforts have focused on protecting the Loon Creek guard station and other buildings.
The Boundary Fire, burning near the Middle Fork of the Salmon River launch site, was held under a temperature inversion Sunday and did not make much of an advance, the Forest Service reported. However, a Forest Service Web site stated that the fire has "extreme growth potential" due to low humidity and very dry fuels. The Boundary Fire and two other nearby fires, known together as the Boundary Complex, have burned almost 18,000 acres.
The Red Mountain Fire, burning about five miles northwest of Banner Summit, was fanned by strong winds Monday into flames about 300 feet high, sending embers across fire lines. Fire crews pulled back for safety reasons, the Forest Service reported.
"Fire fighters may need to construct line quickly to prevent further expansion of troublesome areas," a Forest Service press release stated on Tuesday.
The press release stated that crews may use explosives to blow brush and other wood out of the way of the fire's path. The fire has burned about 21,000 acres.
The Trailhead Fire, burning near Stanley Lake, is 80 percent contained. However, some trails in the area remain closed.
Federal fire forecasters said Friday that the 2006 wildfire season will likely end up scorching about the same amount of land in the western United States as did last year's fires, although the acreage burned so far this season is well above the 10-year average.
Through August, 7.8 million acres, or more than 12,000 square miles, had burned this year from more than 79,000 fires. In 2005, more than 56,000 fires burned 8.2 million acres, or 12,800 square miles. The 10-year average fire season through August is 4.7 million acres, or 7,300 square miles, from 58,000 fires.
The U.S. Forest Service has spent almost more than $1.2 billion fighting the fires since the fiscal 2006-year began last Oct. 1.
Federal suppression costs have been high this season due to an unusually early and large fire season in Texas and Oklahoma.
Costs have also been steep from a spate of big timber blazes this year in the Rockies and Cascades.
"We've learned when you get fires in that terrain, there's no reason to put people at risk climbing steep mountainsides," said Rose Davis, spokeswoman for the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise.
"We incorporate more aviation assets to stem the spread of those fires from the air, which is costlier."
The new National Wildland Fire Outlook report for September calls for high fire potential in northern California due to seasonal winds, while monsoons in the Southwest have ended the fire season there. The probability of lightning in the Pacific Northwest will drop significantly after Sept. 10, which should lessen the chances of more new fires.
But Tom Wordell, leader of the Predictive Services Unit at the federal firefighting command center in Boise, said "energy release component" measurements of how quickly trees and brush could ignite remain dangerously high after a long, hot summer in the West.
