BY KAREN BOSSICK

Fire officials fighting a fire at Idaho’s iconic Redfish Lake will hold a community meeting at 7 p.m. tonight—Wednesday, July 17—at the Stanley Community Building.

Fire managers and local agency representatives will be on site to answer questions. The meeting will be filmed and posted to Facebook.

The fire was at 1,850 acres as of Tuesday night after more than doubling in size the previous day. The west/northwest flank of the fire is burning down into Fishhook Creek drainage,. Fire crews will construct more fire line in this area to prevent the fire from moving north towards Stanley.

Stanley Mayor Steve Botti said that the fire is continuing to burn around the north side of Mount Iowa where it may be dropping into the Fishhook Creek drainage. Firefighters have been using fire to fight fire—making fire lines with drip torches or ping pong balls that ignite when hitting the ground--to reduce fuels above Point Campground and on the east side of the fire. Firefighters also conducted backburns northwest of the lodge tying it into Fishhook Creek.

Burnouts are scheduled to return today—Wednesday, July 17—weather permitting. Firefighters have made progress anchoring the southern fire perimeter from the fourth Bench Lake to Redfish Lake to prevent the fire from hooking around the inlet side of Redfish Lake and burning down the east shore of the lake.

The fire has slowed its march towards the lake, which means low-intensity burning will contribute to a mosaic burn where older trees will survive and the underbrush will return in abundance. Spot fires are popping up around the area but firefighters are trying to attack them as soon as they start.

Crews have placed sprinklers, water pumps and hoses around the historic Redfish Lake Lodge, and sprinklers are in operation at the lodge. Crews are removing fuels with chainsaw along the popular Fishhook Creek Trail system.

The fire was a half-mile from the lodge on Tuesday, and firefighters planned to conduct burnout operations northwest of the lodge tying it into Fishhook Creek on Tuesday, smoke permitting. Hotshot crews were on site to suppress spot fires.

Helicopters and aircraft scooping water from Redfish Lake are cooling the fire’s edge with water drops. Winds should come from the north/northeast and be favorable to firefighting conditions.

Currently 259 firefighters are fighting the fire, along with 12 engines, two scooper planes, three helicopters.

The fire, which was reported at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, July 11, is now 3 percent contained and under investigation. The U.S. Forest Service has taken a full suppression approach.

The fire prompted the Sawtooth Society to move its gala Sagebrush Soiree benefit this coming Thursday night from Stanley’s Pioneer Park to The Argyros in Ketchum. The event is tasked with celebrating and supporting the Sawtooth Society’s mission of “Preserving, Protecting and Enhancing the SNRA.”

Additionally, Angela Hansen, Maya Blix, Trini Wysong and Carey Molter have set up a GoFundMe account  to support the staff of the Redfish Lake Lodge, which is losing income during one of its busiest times of the summer due to the wildfire. To contribute, go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-redfish-lake-lodge-staff-and-family.

The fund, meant to reimburse employees for housing and food costs, income and tips and losses by the owners, raised nearly $5,000 in just four hours, said Jeff Platt. By Tuesday evening it had raised $10,800.

The northern SNRA is very smoky due to high volumes of dead timber in the area of the Bench Lake Fire and smoke from other nearby wildfires.

The Redfish Lake area remains closed, including the Redfish Creek-Baron Creek Trail, Bench Lakes Trail, Fishhook Creek Trail, Grand Mogul Trail, Marshall Lake Cutoff and the Saddleback Lakes and Elephant Perch area.

Trails outside the Redfish area are not impacted by the fire, but hikers and backpackers are asked to stay aware in case there are sudden changes.

The Sawtooth National Forest will begin enforcing Stage 1 fire restrictions today—Wednesday, July 17. That means no fires whatsoever in the backcountry. The only fires permitted in the front country must be in Forest Service-approved metal fire rings in developed recreation sites.

No fires are allowed in dispersed campsites, even if a ring is present. Smoking is prohibited except within an enclosed vehicle, building or designated recreation site. The maximum penalty for violating a fire restriction order is $5,000 for an individual and $10,000 for corporations and/or six months imprisonment.

“Our fire danger rating right now is Very High, and, with the abnormally dry, hot conditions and record low fuel moisture levels we’re seeing, we project it will soon be Extreme,” said Sawtooth National Forest Fire Management Officer Andrew Addey. “Nationally, demand for firefighting resources, equipment, and aviation assets is higher than normal, which also limits our ability to order resources for any new fires that may start.”

The Sawtooth zone includes lands north of Highway 20 to the northernmost Sawtooth National Forest boundary in Blaine, Camas, Custer, Elmore and Boise counties.