Community meeting today on Hope fires

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect the new meeting time of 6:30 p.m.

A community meeting is being held today to update the community on the Trestle Creek Complex fires.

The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Clark Fork High School parking lot. Nevada Incident Command Team 3 members will be on hand to introduce themselves and offer an update on the fires.

Fire crews are engaged in line production on Trestle Fire 6. A masticator — large machinery similar to a home wood chipper — is creating a fuel breaks along the Lightning Creek Road. Mastication is a fuel reduction treatment method typically used in forest management to reduce the risk of wildfire. In this case, it will be used to reduce the fuel source along the road to slow the ability of the fire from crossing the road and creek, Dorothy Harvey, Nevada Incident Command Team 3 public information officer.

"Part of the strategy for fighting this fire is to keep it out of the creeks," Harvey said. "An endangered fish species calls these creeks home. The bull trout likes high mountain streams with cold water and low sediment."

The Trestle Creek Road has been closed just above the Huckleberry Campground and the Lightning Creek Road has been closed just above the junction of Rattle Creek and Lightning Creek roads. The public is reminded to please stay out of these areas and do not go past the closure barriers.

Very warm and dry weather will continue this weekend, with increased moisture through Wednesday along with a possibility of a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Storms are expected to be mainly elevated and quick moving with light rain amounts favored, Harvey said.