Update:  8/3/13 0900 Hours

 

ire weather will return to normal today with warmer, dryer conditions. Temperatures will be in the lower 80’s, humidity in the mid-20% range and winds out of the west at 5 to 15 MPH. Yesterday firefighters worked on 9 spot fires north of the Magruder road, the largest which was 89 acres. Today they will focus on improving lines and mopping up around these spot fires and remove snags along the Magruder road. They will also begin constructing fire line on the northeast corner of the fire near the junction of the Magruder road and the Hells Half Acre road. Structure protection will be done around Observation Point. Fire activity is expected to increase in intensity every day into the foreseeable future.

The large spot fire that established itself north of the Magruder road at Kim Creek Saddle has placed additional emphasis on structure protection assessment along the Selway River and the Paradise area. The first bridge up the Paradise road has had sprinklers installed. Firefighters are trying to keep the fire south of the Magruder road, west of the Paradise road, and west of Hells Half Acre road.Work will continue today on contingency lines outside the wilderness to the east. Feller-bunchers and other equipment have completed about 25% of a fuel break that links Forest Service road systems, natural openings and past fire scars in the West Fork valley as contingency line if the fire burns towards the east. Firefighters will continue recon work on roads west of the Painted Rocks area to identify a location to connect with the contingency line in the West Fork valley to create similar, connecting lines of defense. This fire will be a long duration event due to its’ size, terrain, fuels and normal weather patterns as we enter the prime fire season in the Northern Rockies.

There are 422 personnel assigned to the fire including three Type 1 crews, five Type 2 crews, six helicopters, six engines, two feller-bunchers and one dozer. The fire is now 16,330 acres.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.

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

 

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