Lightning Creek fire north of Clark Fork showing ‘moderate’ activity, but remains 0% contained

By Zach Hagadone
Reader Staff

The Lightning Creek fire, burning on about 2,400 acres nine miles north of Clark Fork, remained at 0% containment as of Aug. 6, officials with the U.S. Forest Service reported.

Meanwhile, local fire managers and the incoming incident management team will host a community meeting at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 8 at the Clark Fork High School (502 N. Main St.) to provide general information and address community questions and concerns.

The fire began July 30 due to lightning strike, and is burning up the Lightning Creek drainage in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest following the scar and feeding on heavy dead and down fuels left by the Cougar Fire in 2018. 

As of Aug. 6, there were 97 personnel on the fire, including three engines, one water tender, two excavators, one feller buncher, three falling modules, a hand crew and hotshots. Fire suppression aircraft are available and being used as needed.

Officials reported that personnel were mopping up operations along Lightning Creek Road on Aug. 6, using hand tools and water and working inward from the fire’s edge to reinforce a fireline. 

In addition, a spot fire ignited across Lightning Creek had been contained on Aug. 5, as well as the nearby Steep Creek Fire, located across the valley to the west of the Lightning Creek fire, which topped out at 0.3 acres.

Overall, the Lightning Creek fire is displaying moderate behavior, with its growth occurring through flanking and backing. The weather turned cooler on Aug. 6, with temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit in the mountains. Rain showers are forecasted throughout the week, but also thunderstorms.

A closure order remains in effect around the site of the fire, encompassing a broad area of land from Upper Lighting Creek and Moose Lake in the north, nearly to Scotchman Peak in the south and east and west outside of East Hope and into the high country, respectively.

A temporary flight restriction is also in place, prohibiting the operation of aircraft — including drones — without permission. 

“Any unauthorized aircraft poses a serious hazard to aviation personnel, necessitating the grounding of aircraft and a potential delay of valuable fire suppression efforts,” officials stated. “If you fly, we can’t.”

The Lightning Creek fire remains the only blaze in the Idaho panhandle as of press time, though several fires are burning in eastern Washington in the Colville National Forest and northwest of Spokane.

The Hope fire is burning on more than 8,000 acres about 15 miles north of Kettle Falls, Wash., and is 95% contained. Its cause is currently under investigation. Meanwhile, the Castle Rock fire six miles southeast of Colville, Wash., was ignited by lightning and has so far consumed 58 acres and is 25% contained. 

Finally, the Lake Spokane fire, 12 miles northwest of Spokane, reached full containment on July 31 after burning just more than 2,500 acres.

The majority of the fires in Idaho so far this season are located on an east-west band through the Bitterroot Mountains from the Clearwater, Nez Perce and Payette National forests to the Montana border, where a number of other blazes are burning between Missoula and Helena.

Statewide media and fire officials have reported a higher-than-normal potential for severe fires in 2025, with hot temperatures and dry conditions, though the fire season to date has been mild compared to previous years. 

As of mid-July, the Idaho Capital Sun reported that Idaho had spent about $9.2 million of the $40 million that lawmakers appropriated for wildfire suppression in the 2025 Legislature, and expected to reclaim nearly $2 million of that in reimbursable expenses. Last year, the state spent $58 million to fight wildfires.

For more information and updates on the Lightning Creek fire, go to inciweb.wildfire.gov/idipf-lightning-creek-fire.