Hayden fire at 4,400 acres, 35% contained

The 4,400-acre Ridge Creek fire that has been burning nearly four weeks east of Hayden Lake was 35% contained Tuesday.

Firefighters continued to construct, improve and mop up fire lines Tuesday while starting repairs to roads and other features damaged by fire suppression, according to fire officials.

“Overall, fire lines are holding, with isolated heat remaining in the interior,” officials said in a news release.

Evacuation notices were downgraded from Level 2 to 1 for residents in the area of Bunco Road and Bunco Bypass.

Investigators determined the fire was human caused, though it’s unclear whether the fire was intentional.

Recent rain and cooler temperatures lowered fire danger across the Idaho panhandle, prompting public, state and tribal land managers to move from Stage II to Stage I fire restrictions starting Wednesday in some area, according to a U.S. Forest Service news release.

Those include all state, state endowment, federal, tribal, and private forestland and rangeland in Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai, and Shoshone Counties. This also includes National Forest System lands in Washington and Montana that are administered by the Idaho Panhandle National Forests.

While campfires are now allowed in permanent fire rings on designated recreation sites and private land, hunters and recreationists are urged to continue to use caution.

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