Tenmile fire is 525 acres, 20 percent contained

The Tenmile fire was reported to be 525 acres and 20 percent contained Monday morning, following cooler weather and helicopter water drops over the weekend that enabled firefighters to strengthen fire lines.

In addition, “hotshot crews performed firing operations inside the perimeter to remove unburned fuels and to reduce the risk of future fire activity spotting across containment lines,” an incident report states.

The fire, located about 18 miles southwest of Eureka, is being managed by a Type II incident management team that arrived late last week and scheduled a public meeting for 7 p.m. Monday at the Trego Civic Center.

Mop-up operations had already begun by Monday morning where the fire was contained on the west side, according to the incident report.

Monday’s plans included using crews and heavy machinery to bolster existing fire lines and build new ones; dropping water from helicopters to slow the fire’s spread; and thinning vegetation on the fire’s east side to create a shaded fuels break, “which provides firefighters the best opportunity to hold the fire,” the news release states.

No area evacuations were in place as of Monday, but numerous closures were, including Cliff Creek, McGuire Creek, Sterling Creek and Park Creek roads and Ten Mile No. 21 and Blackfoot Divide No. 4N trails. The full closure orders can be viewed at www.fs.usda.gov/kootenai/.

The weather forecast was for warmer temperatures, lower relative humidity levels and reduced cloud cover Tuesday, with “much warmer temperatures” expected later in the week as high pressure system builds.