Updated:  8/1/13 2000 (MDT) Hours

The thunderstorms over the Gold Pan Fire Complex today significantly reduced fire activity and produced several rounds of rain. Hail drove some firefighters to the safety of their vehicles at one point until it passed over. Salmon Mountain Lookout and Hells Half Acre Saddle both averaged ½ inch of rain by 4 pm. Firefighters concentrated on spot fires on the north side of the Magruder Road.Tomorrow’s weather will see cooler temperatures and higher humidity. It will be several days before significant fire activity will return to the area, allowing firefighters to make some progress in areas that are safe to work; primarily along the Magruder road which is a key for access and as an escape route. The fire will continue to burn in larger fuels and is expected to increase in activity as normal weather returns during the month of August.

The fire has grown to 16,318 acres or approximately 25½ square miles. Most of the increase in acreage from the previous report was due to active burning on the evening of July 31st.

There are 363 personnel assigned to the fire including two Type 1 crews, four Type 2 crews, five helicopters and seven engines.

The Goat Fire, located southeast of Salmon Mountain Lookout, also had minimal fire activity today.Road Guards on the Magruder road closure are located at Fales Flat campground on the east and Observation Point (Idaho) on the west. Fales Flat campground remains open to the public.

Area Closure: There is a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) of seven nautical miles and an emergency closure in place surrounding the fire area. To see a map of the closure visithttp://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3538/ . All forest service roads and trails within this area are closed.

For the latest fire information and photos http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3538/ . Stay in touch with the Bitterroot National Forest through www.facebook.com/DiscoverTheBitterroot andwww.twitter.com/BitterrootNF.

 

Source:  Inciweb.org

 

2013  The NW Fire Blog