Fire season. This photo was taken near Worley, ID, on Thursday, September 1, 2011, at about 3:23 p.m. from Cave Bay Road shooting southeast toward Cottonwood Bay Road. The fire was located between Cottonwood Bay Road and Rolling Hills Road (earlier topo maps denote this as Indian Cemetery Road). The fire started as a controlled burn stubble fire but quickly spread out of control. All Worley Fire Protection District stations plus two units from the Idaho Department of Lands from Coeur d’Alene aggressively attacked the fire. Early in the fire, one home was in immediate jeopardy, but WFPD and the homeowner saved it. By the time mop-up began about four hours later, the fire had covered over 80 acres thanks to a strong dry wind.
Those are some smoke signals!
Comment by Stebbijo — September 5, 2011 @ 3:14 pm
Stebbijo,
When we were driving toward Worley on Cave Bay Road, the darkness and thickness of the smoke got our attention. Any time we’re out at the lake we monitor the Worley Fire Protection District radio frequency, so we heard the Deputy Chief already on his way to check out the smoke when Central Dispatch toned out WFPD to respond to a stubble fire that had gotten out of control. WFPD is mostly volunteer with excellent professional leadership and regular training. With the unusually high winds, the fire could have done a great deal more damage, but WFPD’s quick and efficient response minimized the damage.
Comment by Bill — September 5, 2011 @ 7:01 pm