History - The Sundance Fire in the Selkirk Mountains
by Bob Gunter
The Selkirk Mountains still show scars from the devastating effects of the Sundance fire. The fire started on August 23, 1967 with a lightning strike on Sundance Mountain near the Sundance lookout tower in Bonner County.
The mountain is 6,298' high and is located four miles east north east of Coolin on Priest Lake. The initial blaze was contained after burning 35 acres but it was not completely extinguished. One week after the initial blaze the winds increased and fanned the smoldering flames into action. The fire jumped the lines and burned two thousand acres by August 30.
When things looked as bad as they could get the worst possible thing happened. The summer had been particularly hot and dry and there had been little or no rain. High winds hit the area and some observers said that it was as if the forest exploded in front of the wind driven flames. The fire moved with such force that on September 1 it traveled approximately sixteen miles in nine hours, destroying over 55 thousand acres of land and about 10 million board feet of lumber. In the Pack River Valley the fire created its own winds causing an inferno known as a "fire storm." The winds were strong enough to snap large trees and enough heat was generated to split large granite boulders.
Two thousand men fought the fire with shovels, bulldozers, and planes. Two firefighters died while trying to save a bulldozer and many others had narrow escapes. On September 2 the fire began to slow and the winds changed for the better. Eventually the rains came and the fire was controlled in mid September, but not before it had burned nearly fifty-six thousand acres of land and caused tremendous loss to cattle and wildlife.
At the time the Sundance fire was called the most destructive fire in Idaho in 50 years. There were reports that an even more dangerous fire had been avoided. At the same time the Sundance fire was burning there was a second fire burning out of control about 30 miles north of Trapper Peak. There was also a third blaze on Caribou Creek that had been confined to 30 acres. If the Caribou Creek fire had gotten out of control the three fires would most likely have merged and much of North Idaho would not be the place of beauty it is today.
To see more great old photos of Sandpoint and the surrounding areas :: Click Here ::
All photographs have been used with permission of the Bonner County Museum.
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