BAYVIEW, Idaho (AP) – A wildfire in northern Idaho has destroyed at least six homes and forced about 300 residents in an upscale lakeside community to evacuate as it ballooned to more than 3 square miles Monday.
Flames have burned through a mix of year-round residences and seasonal homes near the southern shore of Lake Pend Oreille, the state’s largest lake and a recreation and fishing destination. Fire managers have urged the rest of the small town of Bayview to leave their homes as strong winds, rising temperatures and low humidity threatened to fan the flames later in the day.
Officials feared the only two roads in and out of town would get clogged if everyone tried to leave at once, fire spokesman Tyler Drechsel said.
“If they evacuate now, it helps if these fires take off,” Drechsel said Monday morning, noting that afternoon forecasts call for wind gusts of more than 20 mph and temperatures in the mid-90s.
A high school will serve as an emergency shelter for the area about 70 miles northeast of Spokane, Washington.