Whipped by wind gusting to 25 miles an hour, a wildfire near the Bayview area on the southern shores of Lake Pend Oreille quickly grew to at least 500 acres Sunday afternoon. By Monday afternoon it was reported at 2,000 acres by the fire's incident commanders, and zero-percent contained.
The sheriffs of Bonner and Kootenai Counties ordered mandatory evacuations for some residents living just east of Bayview, affecting about 600 residents.
By Monday morning, officials said at least six residences had been destroyed, and more may be threatened as of Monday night.
Fire fighters from the Idaho Panhandle National Forest and local fire districts mobilized hurriedly, and forestry managers were able to get planes and helicopters in the air to drop retardant and water on the advancing flames. Firefighting management was transitioning Monday night to the Western Montana incident management team, a team that travels the nation.
The fire spread a thick plume of smoke southward over the Coeur d'Alene area. Officials had not yet determined how it started, but suspect a human cause whether intentional or not.
From Fire Incident Command Center: Current evacuations are in place starting at Salee Ck Road east along Perimeter Road through the end of Cape Horn Road. An evacuation center has been established at Timberlake High School located on Highway 54 in Spirit Lake, Idaho.