‘This is an iconic area.’ You can help Redfish Lake workers as Idaho wildfire rages
As the Bench Lake Fire continues to burn by Idaho’s popular Redfish Lake, forcing the recreation destination’s closure, residents have started an effort to make sure the people who make their living off the lake’s tourism are taken care of.
Nearly 1,300 acres have burned since the fire started at around 12:30 p.m. last Thursday about 8 miles south of Stanley. Since then, Sawtooth National Recreation Area officials have issued an emergency closure for the Redfish Lake recreation complex, including the lodge and associated buildings, roads, trails, trailheads and campgrounds in the area.
Some Stanley residents have stepped in to help the historic lodge and its employees survive the financial impact of the closure during important summer vacation weeks. A GoFundMe campaign launched Tuesday with a $75,000 goal, and it quickly raised more than $7,000.
Joe Schindel, a spokesperson for the complex incident management team overseeing the Bench Lake Fire, told the Idaho Statesman in a phone interview Monday that a dedicated crew was placing water pumps, hoses and other equipment around Redfish Lake Lodge, and trying to clear potential fuel for the blaze.
Schindel said the team is “mindful” of the significance of the 100-year-old lodge, the Redfish area and the impact of the closure order for the complex.
“This is an iconic area, it’s significant in tourism,” Schindel said. “That makes up a substantial amount of the local economy, and that’s not lost on our team.”
He said the management team is working closely with the Sawtooth National Forest and Sawtooth National Recreation Area as it makes decisions on the fire, which is burning down to the lake’s western edge.
“There’s really strong relationships in that community and certainly we want to foster that,” Schindel said.
Firefighters have not been able to contain the blaze at all as activity has ramped up. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Crews planned to use that west shoreline of Redfish Lake as a natural line for containing the fire, which has burned slowly downhill. A news release said that activity, known as a mosaic burn, is less hot and likely spared some older trees, and will encourage dense regrowth.
Schindel said high temperatures and rugged terrain have made firefighting a challenge. He said firefighters are using boats and helicopters to reach the flames, and some crews are hiking in using the Bench Lake Trail and other nearby routes.
He said the management team is trying to keep closures as close to the fire itself as possible, to avoid shuttering other trails and campgrounds, but he urged people to use great caution recreating in the area.
“We recognize that the Redfish Lake area alone and the compound affect thousands of people daily,” Schindel said. “We understand that people have reservations and understand how important those are to many people. We’re doing everything we can to ensure folks are safe in there.”
He said visitors driving through the area should be aware of fire traffic on Idaho 75 and know that smoke creates decreased visibility.
Officials are bracing for possible thunderstorms later in the week, which could start additional fires with lightning strikes or exacerbate the Bench Lake Fire’s flames with erratic winds.
On Tuesday there were five fire crews attacking the blaze, along with multiple helicopters, engines and water-scooping aircraft, which have dropped more than 370,000 gallons of water on the fire in recent days.
This story was originally published July 16, 2024 at 3:59 PM.
