Wildfire Alert: Sunset Fire – Current as of 8:10 AM PT on 8/30/2025
Idaho Department of Lands sent this bulletin at 08/30/2025 09:11 AM MDTHaving trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.
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: 3,183 acres (acres were updated due to more accurate infrared (IR) mapping)
Containment: 80%
Total Personnel: 432
This will be the final daily update from Northern Rockies Complex Incident
Management Team 5. North Idaho Type 3 Incident Management Team will take
command of the incident at 8:00 pm tonight.
CURRENT STATUS
Crews will continue to remove pumps, hoselays, and sprinklers where they are no longer needed. Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) with infrared (IR) capabilities will be available to provide crews with information. Helicopters are available to support crews on the
ground, with water delivery, cargo backhaul, reconnaissance missions, aerial supervision, and mapping/heat detection, if needed.
Demobilization of resources will continue as fire activity moderates. The incident management team is right-sizing the organization to match current needs while maintaining adequate staffing to ensure firefighter and public safety.
WEATHER AND FIRE BEHAVIOR
Most of the fire area received about ¼ inch of rain yesterday afternoon. Today, temperatures will reach the mid to high 80s with clear skies in the morning and thin cloud cover in the afternoon. Minimum relative humidity will be in the high 20s with light and
variable wind in the morning, becoming southwest at 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon with gusts up to 15 mph on the ridgetops. This warming and drying trend will continue through early next week.
Minimal fire behavior including smoldering and creeping will continue in areas inside the fire perimeter where heat persists.
EVACUATIONS, RESTRICTIONS, CLOSURES
• Bonner County Sheriff’s Office has rescinded all evacuation orders.
• The Idaho Panhandle National Forest has rescinded the area closure.
• Burning restrictions are still in place. By order of Fire Chief Armstrong, “All Open Burning” in the fire affected areas of Sagle shall be extinguished, to include campfires, outdoor burning of yard waste, open flames devices and charcoal fires.
• The established checkpoints will continue to be manned by law enforcement personnel, in order to restrict non-residents from entering the previously evacuated areas.
• You are returning to an active fire scene where hundreds of personnel are still working. You will encounter heavy equipment and fire trucks throughout the area. Please give them the right-of-way as you travel.
A Temporary flight restriction (TFR) is in place that restricts all aircraft (including drones) from operating in the fire area without permission.