Over Two Hundred Firefighters Added to Tackle Copper King Fire

The Copper King Fire saw little overnight growth Monday night, but Tuesday’s weather forecast gave Fire Information Officer Anna Callahan some uncertainly about its containment.

"It's east of Thompson falls near Highway 200," Callahan said. "Right now its about 700 to 800 acres and it's in some pretty steep and rocky terrain with some timber up there. Today with the warmer weather and the potential winds this afternoon there could be a potential for growth."

The fire saw an exponential increase in resources including five additional helicopters and nearly two hundred more personnel brought in to battle the flames.

"Because of the location of the fire and the steep terrain, it's harder for our folks to get in there safely to get to work directly on the fire," Callahan said. "They are prepping roads and they are doing structure preparation. They did bring in some sprinkler systems and some hoses to help us out.  We do have helicopters and they are dipping buckets into the Clark fork river."

Aerial suppression has kept the fire at bay near Highway 200 and the road is still open however some forest roads have closed due to the fire. More information about the fire and any road closures is available here.