Several small fires in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness and the Salmon-Challis National Forest could make life difficult for recreationists this week.
Several lightning-sparked fires are burning along the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, including the 143-acre Bighorn Fire, in the section of the river known as Impassable Canyon. The Bighorn Fire is burning along the Middle Fork near the mouth of Big Creek, about 41 miles west of Salmon in the middle of the Frank Church wilderness.
The fire will not be suppressed due to the area's extremely rugged terrain, said incident commander Tim Metzger of the U.S. Forest Service.
"Essentially, there's no way to get people in there," Metzger said. "It's just a sheer rock face."
Metzger said that even if the Forest Service dropped firefighters into the canyon, there would be no way to retrieve them.
The fire, which is expected to burn throughout the summer, has prompted the Salmon-Challis National Forest to close portions of the Waterfall Creek Trail, as well as river camps at Big Creek, Pine Bluff, Cutthroat Cove, Love Bar, Elk Bar and Redside.
The Waterfall Creek Trail will be closed along its lower four miles, beginning at the junction with the Middle Fork River Trail at the Big Creek Bridge, and ending at the junction with the South Fork Waterfall Creek Trail.
Another 140-acre blaze was discovered Sunday afternoon up Spring Creek off the Main Salmon River Road. The Forest Service is in full suppression mode, dropping two loads of retardant on the fire late Sunday to minimize spreading. Additional water drops from helicopters are expected.
The cause of the Spring Fire is undetermined, but Forest Service spokeswoman Barbara Bassler said the agency considers this to probably be a lightning-caused fire. Visitors to the forest are advised that there will be increased traffic on the Main Salmon River Road, and recreationists should make every effort to keep the traffic flow going.
There are three other fires burning in the Salmon-Challis, all less than an acre in size. All floaters on the Middle Fork are advised to check in at the riverside Flying B Ranch for updates on fires and camp closures. Recreationists can check the status of the fires by calling the forest's Salmon Field Office at (208) 756-5100.
Katherine Wutz: kwutz@mtexpress.com
