Poe Cabin Article from Lewiston Idaho on defensible space project that saved homes from wildfire
By Eric Barker of \\the Tribune
Sunday, July 22, 2007
WHITE BIRD - Residents of the rural Deer Creek Road area below Pittsburg Saddle said thinning projects around their properties, and neighbors helping neighbors is all that saved their homes from the fast-moving Poe Cabin Fire on Friday.
One landowner wasn't so lucky. Tim Craig, owner of Boulder Creek Outfitters, lost six structures, including a house, barn, bunkhouse and cabin. He said there was no help from firefighting agencies and a lack of
communication about the fire. "We lost our whole ranch," he said. "We were all by ourselves. Nobody wasthere."
The fire exploded Friday afternoon and pushed over Pittsburg Saddle and down the Deer Creek drainage, where it burned over and around severalhomes. The blaze was listed at 20,000 acres Saturdayevening and continues to threaten about 100 homes.
Many residents said work to thin trees, grass and brush around their properties in the last few years, known as defensible space projects, is the only reason their homes are standing today.
"There is no question that is what saved this place," said Katherine
Thompson. "None whatsoever."
The fire burst over the ridge separating the Snake and Salmon Rivers between noon and 2 p.m. It then sped downhill, scorching nearly everything in its path, including trees, deer and birds. "I was amazed at the amount of dead wildlife because they can usually get out of the way," said Ken Meyers.
Most residents evacuated as the fire front pushed down the drainage. Buta few stayed behind to try to protect their homes.
Ian Barlow decided to fight the fire. He hosed down his home as the firemoved through. Barlow, a Forest Service employee, started building fire lines around his house about six days ago because of the extreme dryness. He also stripped wooden shingles off the side of his house with theintention of replacing them with concrete. But the fire came before he could complete the project. Just moments before the fire reached his
house, he started a back fire that helped save the place. "A lot of it was we had done those defensible space projects," he said.
"I knew that place was perfectly survivable if you burned out, which we
did."
Clarence Chapman has also worked to fireproof his home in the last fewyears. He said more than 100 trees were removed, among other things. Muchof the work was paid for by a grant written by Susan Jenkins, fire
prevention technician with Salmon River Ranger District of the Nez PerceNational Forest. She also is a resident of the area. "I'm very thankful to this lady," Chapman said of Jenkins.
He unintentionally stayed behind to protect his home. His wife evacuatedand he planned to follow after setting up sprinklers and calling 911 and firefighting agencies. But the fire cut off his escape route, so he
stayed and fought the fire with a garden hose. That fight turned into a struggle for survival when strong winds pushed the blaze all around him. "I just came here, to the middle of the lawn and turned the hose on my head," he said. "I had a minute or two I wasn't sure I was going to makeit."
Chapman was concerned with the lack of communication between firefightersand residents, and said it appeared back fires on the Snake River side of the Pittsburg Saddle weren't being manned Friday morning.
But Craig, who lives at Peck, is the most critical of firefightingefforts. He said he was told Friday morning that everything was OK. So he worked on chores. He looked up at one point and the fire was bearing down
on his place. He is miffed at the lack of firefighting support and wastold teams from the Salmon River Rural Fire District weren't allowed upDeer Creek Road during the blaze. "All I know is the fire district triedto get up the hill and they wouldn't let them up," he said. "I think if they had let the fire people come up we would have been fine." He estimate his losses at about $700,000, including structures and timber.
Craig also thinks the back fires set by firefighters along the Deer Creek Road on the Snake River side of the Pittsburg Saddle may have pushed the fire over the ridge. A sarcastic sign in front of his place reads "Thanks for the help Forest Service."
But those in charge of firefighting efforts say the criticism is off base. Thom Hawkins, supervisor of the Craig Mountain Area of the IdahoDepartment of Lands at Craigmont, said firefighters took care to burn along the Snake side of the divide Thursday night. His agency was incharge of fighting the fire most of Friday.
"They were very prudent I felt," he said. "When it crossed, it did cross near the saddle, but it was the fire that crossed not any (back fire)that was lit."
A Type I fire management team lead by Chuck Stanich took control of the fire about 6 p.m. Friday night. Stanich said the fire was pushed bystrong and erratic winds. "It really pushed the fire around in all directions and we got some extreme spotting," he said.
Firefighters are continuing to assess homes in the area in need of protection. They are now worried about rural subdivisions near Twin River Ranch, Deer Creek, Poe Creek, Howard Creek, Sotin Creek, Geta Creek and Deer Gulch, said fire information officer Paula Rosenthal. The fire movedinto Sotin Creek Saturday.
Firefighting efforts on the Chimney Complex south of Lewiston went wellSaturday. They were able to build a fire line around a spot fire in Madden Creek, said fire information officer Jennifer Costich. That spot fire started from a hot spot on the original blaze and not from a back burn operation as reported in the Tribune's Saturday edition.
An evacuation order remains in effect for residents of the Waha and RedBird areas. But Costich said residents will be allowed into their homefrom 6 a.m. until noon today to get any items left behind.
"That is an opportunity for people to get some last-minute items if they choose to do so," she said. The fire continues to consume unburned trees and grass within thecontainment lines and is now listed at 46,000 acres. It is 55 percentcontained. Costich said the evacuation order will continue to be enforceduntil the ongoing back burn operation is completed.
The Rattle Snake Fire, six miles southwest of the Dixie Work Center, has moved into the Indian Creek drainage and north near Jersey Mountain. It has burned 12,397 acres. Hand crews are fighting the Rainey Fire that jumped the Salmon River Thursday near Mackay Bar. Crews from the Maggie Creek area of the Idaho
Department of Lands mopped up a fire Saturday that burned 35 acres nearTahoe Ridge Friday.
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Barker may be contacted at or at (208) 743-9600,
ext. 273.