Lawrence Mountain and Parsnip Fires update
by Kootenai National Forest
September 25, 2009
EUREKA – The Lawrence Mountain Fire, located south of Lawrence Mountain on the Rexford Ranger District, has burned approximately 1200 acres since it began on September 2, 2009. The fire has been burning in heavy, downed lodgepole pine.
The regeneration timber harvest and prescribed burning that took place in the area during the 1990’s has limited the fires spread, and allowed fire managers to continue using a confine/contain suppression strategy. This strategy reduces the safety risk to firefighters, and helps insure that the impacts to the natural resources are maintained at an acceptable level. In addition, this strategy significantly reduces the firefighting cost to taxpayers.
The Parsnip fire, which is located approximately ½ mile north of the Lawrence Mtn. fire, was also being managed under a confine/contain strategy. On September 17, a decision was made to fully suppress this fire to insure that it did not cross the drainage and burn to the north. A 20-person crew, made up of Idaho Panhandle and Kootenai National Forest employees, contained the Parsnip Fire at 6 acres early this week.
Smoke from the Lawrence Mtn. Fire will likely continue to impact local communities intermittently for the duration of the fire. The high pressure system, currently in place, has not allowed for good smoke dispersion and is expected to continue for the next few days. A cold front with stronger winds is predicted to move through the area this weekend which should allow the smoke to mix into the upper atmosphere. The severity of the smoke impacts on our communities will be dependent on the wind direction and the stability of the atmosphere. Some areas could see heavy smoke impacts while others may not see any noticeable effect.
Daily monitoring of the fire has and will continue to occur until enough moisture has been received to eliminate any threats from the fire.
For public safety, an area closure has been established for the Lawrence Mountain area and will be in effect until further notice. This closure has been enlarged to include a 3 mile radius around Lawrence Mountain.
Please contact the Rexford Ranger District at 406-296-2536 with any questions.
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