Ash Creek Fire Update 7/1/12 at 9:30 PM

Incident: Ash Creek Complex Wildfire
Released: 3 min. ago

ASH CREEK

DAILY INFORMATION FACT SHEET

Date: July 1, 2012 Time: 9:30 p.m.

 Incident: Ash Creek Complex is made up of the Ash Creek fire and the Coal Seam fire.

 Incident Commander: Tom Heintz, Northern Rockies Type-II Incident Management Team

Incident Information telephone number: 406-748-3061

 Location: Ash Creek Fire began 10 miles east of Lame Deer and spread north and east; Coal Seam is about 6 miles north of Busby.

 Approximate Size: Ash Creek Fire: 170,000 acres at 40% containment; Coal Seam Fire: 527 acres with 95% containment.

 Resources: Hand Crews: (5) Type I Hot Shot Fire Crews; (9) Type II Initial Attack fire crews; Engines: 51; Water Tenders: 4; Dozers: 2; Air Support: (5) Helicopters, (1) Air tanker, (2) Air attack

Total personnel: 598. Injuries: None

Fire Update: As predicted with the Red Flag Warning conditions, the Ash Creek experienced significant fire movement on the eastern flank late this afternoon with long-range spotting and torching. The fire in the Beaver Creek area crossed the containment lines that firefighters worked on during last night’s shift and continued toward Little Pumpkin Creek. Evacuations have been ordered for the Stacey, Marvell, Little Pumpkin, East Fork of Otter, Wilbur, Whitetail and Beaver Creek areas.

“As long as the fire is in the heavy timber, it is unlikely that we can safely catch it in these weather conditions,” Incident Commander Tom Heintz said. “We will work on the areas where it is safe, but it may not be until the fire enters into the lighter fuels that we are able to get ahead of it.”

Air support assisted fire crews throughout the day, before and during the late afternoon run that the fire made. Residences remain threatened and crews are continuing structure protection efforts. Firefighters continued to mop-up and patrol the north, west and southwest flanks of the fire, which had minimal fire activity today.

The Red Flag Weather conditions are forecast to continue throughout the night until 6 a.m. tomorrow. A cold front is expected to come through the area bringing with it gusty winds at about 35 mph that could last for several hours at a time. Scattered, dry thunderstorms could potentially occur over the fire area tonight as well. Nightshift fire crews will work to secure containment lines on the eastern flank, when it is safe to do so, as well as continue structure protection. An infrared flight is scheduled for tonight, which will give fire personnel data that will help illustrate fire activity and predict fire behavior and spread. All actions have to be based on safety, fire weather and fire behavior.

Special Concerns: Ranches and residences remain threatened particularly in the Ashland/Broadus Divide near the leading edge of this fire. Highway 212 between Ashland and Broadus remains closed from due to fire activity and smoke. Please do not go around the barricades to travel that route. Please respect those restrictions by ceasing fireworks and open fire use of any kind.

More Information: Visit Inciweb at http://www.inciweb.org/, email ashcreekfireinfo@gmail.com or call the fire information line at 406-748-3061.