Wildfire Alert: Sunset Fire – Current as of 8:47 PM PT on 8/21/2025
Idaho Department of Lands sent this bulletin at 08/21/2025 09:51 PM MDTHaving trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.
Sunset Fire
Evening Update
August 21, 2025
Fire Information 208-990-1881
Northern Rockies Team 5, Incident Commander Joe Sampson
Location: On the western slope of Lake Pend Oreille, northeast of Athol, ID.
Start Date: 8/13/2025
Cause: Under investigation
Size: 3,208 acres
Containment: 11%
Total Personnel: 700
On August 20th, the Bonner County Sheriff's Office updated the list of roads in the GO and the SET evacuation zones, in conjunction with the Sunset Fire.
These lists replaced the previously posted information, dated August 18th.
Roads in SET and roads in GO are listed on
InciWeb at this link.
Because aerial resources do not have to gain as much elevation from Cocolalla Lake as from Lake Pend Oreille, the planes are scooping water out of Cocolalla Lake. The change in location for scooping is not related to western progression of the fire nor an
increase in fire behavior.
Water scoopers will continue to draw water from Lake Pend Oreille. Boaters: please stay out of the flight path of these planes to minimize disruptions to firefighting efforts.
CURRENT STATUS
Hotshots, type 2 hand crews, engines, and heavy equipment worked to hold and improve firelines along the western flank, working northward in the very steep terrain into Maiden Creek. Hotshot and type 2 hand crews worked from north to south from Pearl Creek
to Maiden Creek. In the northern-most area of the fire, a hotshot crew is “spiked out” and will remain on the fireline for several days. Aerial resources, including scoopers and helicopters, continued to assist all firefighting efforts using water drops on
the southern, western, and northern flanks of the fire to support crews on the ground. Structure protection teams continued to implement protection measures where needed along Talache Road and Butler Creek. From the lakeshore, watercraft inserted crews into
remote areas and supplied water to cool hotspots and active flames.
WEATHER AND FIRE BEHAVIOR
As temperatures increased to the mid to upper 80s and relative humidity dropped to the low 20s, smoke was visible as larger fuels burned. North to northeast winds were primarily on ridgetops and along the lakeshore. Winds elsewhere were terrain driven at 5
to 10 mph.
The fire has not made westerly progression and is not anticipated to in the near future. Moderate fire behavior with flanking, torching, and short-range spotting will increase, with short uphill runs likely where terrain allows. Higher temperatures and lower
relative humidity will result in increased potential for fire activity throughout the weekend. Smoke is likely to be visible from numerous locations.
EVACUATIONS, RESTRICTIONS, CLOSURES
The Incident Management Team worked in conjunction with the Bonner County Sheriff 's Office to clarify the narrative descriptions of the evacuation zones for the Sunset Fire.
Roads in SET and roads in GO are listed on
InciWeb at this link.
To receive the latest evacuation updates please sign up for Bonner County Nixle alerts via text. Text 888777 and enter your zip code.
There is an evacuation center at the Cocolalla Bible Camp to assist displaced residents. The Bonner County Fairgrounds are available to shelter evacuated livestock on a limited basis.
Area closures are in effect on the Idaho Panhandle National Forests. The area closure encompasses all National Forest Service Lands (NFSL) along the western shoreline of Lake Pend Oreille, from Camp Bay south to Three Sisters Horizontal Control Station.
The closure extends west to Three Sisters Creek, then proceeds north to just south of National Forest Service Road (NFSR) 230. It then follows a stepped northeast path to Hickman Creek continuing east to the Forest Boundary and then heads north to Sagle Road.
From Sagle Road, the boundary extends east back to Camp Bay.
More information on Idaho Panhandle National Forests area closures can be found at:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/r01/idahopanhandle/alerts
A Temporary flight restriction (TFR) is in place that restricts all aircraft (including drones) from operating in the fire area without permission.