Suppression, not "let it burn" was the policy of the Payette National Forest in the East Zone Complex that threatened Secesh Meadows and Warren, McCall District Ranger Shane Jeffries said.
The Loon Fire was a cluster of six fires started by lightning during a storm on July 13. The Payette forest was already fighting the Zena and Raines fires that had ignited the week before, Jeffries said.
"We went after the thing and it just beat us," Payette dispatch manager Gary Murphy said.
An aerial attack was ordered for the six lightning starts that commenced on July 14. The forest used three helicopters and four air tankers to try to put the fire out immediately, Murphy said.
On July 14, the air attack used four air tankers to drop about 27,000 gallons of retardant on the fires and spent about $79,000.
The three helicopters dumped water on the fires and employed a rappelling team on July 14, but the efforts to snuff out the fire failed, Murphy said. The efforts failed as burning condition indicators used by forest firefighters to predict fire behavior were at record highs that day.
Driest Year on Record Payette fuels program manager Gary Phillips said the forest weather conditions were setting records most days this year. "There was a huge moisture deficit, the rivers were at record low levels and we had record temperatures that all affect fire behavior," Phillips said.
There were about 100 fire starts on the forest this year, and firefighting efforts caught 90 of those fires in the initial attack, he said.
"Beyond initial attack, you fall back to point protection," Phillips said. "We gave the best we could."
Firefighting personnel and equipment was limited throughout the western states due to several large fires raging at the same time, Phillips said.
"We were strapped regionally and nationally, he said.
"There was a lot going on inthe forest at the time," Jeffries said. "We were looking at it as a suppression fire. The notion to just let everything burn is probably just frustration over our inability to get the fire out."
After initial efforts failed, the firefighting effort went toward protecting structures in the communities in the area.
The 300,000-acre East Zone Complex Fire consumed 13 structures, two cabins near Warren and two cabins in the Coperhaven Subdivision along the South Fork of the Salmon River. It cost about $32 million to fight.
Efforts are underway to assess the damage. A team made up of 10 Payette forest employees, is in the area assessing the damage. They are investigating what needs to be done to protect life and property first, team member Dave Kennel said.
The team has identified 150 culverts on the South Fork Road and 300 fallen trees that either have blocked the road or threaten to block it. Estimates say repair of the road will cost up to $1 million.
The team is also assessing properties in the burned areas and are planning to place mulch and reestablish vegetation to stabilize the soil. In addition, the team is checking trail safety and bridge conditions in the area.
A long-term rehabilitation plan for the forest has already begun, Kennel said.
The long-term plan will replace trail bridges, fences on the forest boundary and forest service buildings destroyed by fire, he said. The long-term plan will also include replanting timber.
Timber salvage operations will also be a part of the plan to restore the forest, Kennel said.
