Fires burn in Mission Mountains
Linda Sappington
A single-engine air tanker drops fire retardant on the five-acre Eagle Pass fire Saturday morning.
Linda Sappington
John Easter, mechanic with Vigilante Helicopters, makes a routine rotor check at Ronan Airport Friday after refueling the helicopter assigned to drop water on the Eagle Pass fire.
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
1 of 3 free articles.
LAKE COUNTY — Storms that brought relief for dry Mission Valley over the past few weeks also triggered three lightning fueled fires that were being fought or monitored on Monday.
Helicopters, single engine air-tankers and 28 personnel are fighting the five-acre Eagle Pass Fire, located in the Mission Mountain range just east of Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge. The fire was lined, with a goal of full suppression, because of the potential to spread to nearby structures. Lightning from an Aug. 29 fire was the cause of the fire.
CSKT Division of Fire dispatcher Jack Currie said the fire might take a while to burn out because there has not been a fire in the area in a century.
“The fuel is so thick,” Currie said.
Two other fires, a 30-acre blaze near McDonald Lake and 50-acre fire near Mission Falls are being monitored by fire officials, but are not a threat to structures and will burn themselves out, Currie said.
“They don’t have anywhere to go,” Currie said.
