7/24/2007
Wildfire prompts removal of equipment from Johnson Creek airstrip
McCALL -- The Idaho Transportation Department removed vehicles and equipment from the Johnson Creek airstrip northeast of McCall Monday and curtailed services at the facility because of a nearby wildfire.
Mark Young, ITDs airport maintenance manager, supervised the removal of two courtesy cars, a maintenance vehicle, an all-terrain vehicle and mower as a precautionary measure. The vehicles and equipment were moved to the ITD maintenance yard in Cascade.
The Riordan Fire, which began July 17 and is not being actively fought because of limited resources, grew to more than 9,000 acres Tuesday. It has burned to within about a mile of the Johnson Creek airstrip.
A caretaker stationed at the airstrip during summers months flew his personal aircraft from the grass strip Monday but planned to return in a vehicle Wednesday to keep the irrigation system operating.
One airplane landed at the strip Monday and remained parked next to the runway late Tuesday. Another inoperable aircraft remains at one end of the airstrip.
Johnson Creek is considered the premier state-owned backcountry airstrip, explains JV DeThomas, administrator of ITDs Aeronautics Division. The 3,400-foot grass strip is heavily used for recreation and includes a nearby campground, primitive bunkhouses, a caretakers residence, and other service buildings and facilities.
The airstrip remains open, however, its use is not recommended because of restricted visibility resulting from intermittent heavy smoke and unpredictable fire behavior.