Incident: Gold Pan Complex Wildfire
Released: 2100 Hours
Weather: By mid-afternoon Thursday, dry thunderstorms will be coming through this area. Temperatures are expected to be about 10 degrees less, and fire intensity will increase.
As of 7pm, the burnout operation of about 350 acres was still in progress to bring the edge of the fire down to Magruder Road. About 16,000 delayed aerial ignition devices [ping pong balls] were dropped by helicopter over the fire area to complete the burn out. Crews will be on patrol through the night performing holding actions to keep the fire south of Magruder Road.
Forest road No. 5644 at its’ junction with Nez Perce road and at Mud Creek Saddle; and Forest road No. 1303 are now open. Fire vehicles are still using the road, please drive with caution.
Heavy equipment continued to construct contingency line on the Soda Springs road, working directly west of private property along Nez Perce and West Fork roads. Hand crews constructed fire line through drainages to connect road systems through this area.
Incident status: 477 personnel, five Type 1 crews, six Type 2 crews, seven helicopters, 9 engines, two feller-bunchers, one excavator, 16,412 acres, cost to date $4,225 million.Fire managers emphasize that this will be a long duration fire due to its’ size, topography, fuels, where it is located and the early dry warm weather this area of Montana and Idaho has experienced. Fire activity is steadily increasing in intensity as warmer, dry air has returned to the area.
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.
Closures: An emergency closure order is in place for all Forest Service roads and trails within and surrounding the fire. The closure order and associated map can be viewed athttp://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3538/ . Three roads are closed in the West Fork Valley associated with contingency line construction. There is also a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) over the fire.
For the latest fire information/photos http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3538/. Stay in touch with the Bitterroot National Forest through www.facebook.com/DiscoverTheBitterroot andwww.twitter.com/BitterrootNF.
###
Incident: Red Shale Wildfire
Released: 2100 Hours
Phone system may be down today. Message system is working and we will get back to you as soon as possible
Current Activities: Due to accurate mapping from Infrared and observation flight, the size now is estimated at 9, 294 acres. Today’s weather may bring brief thunderstorms with some rain and gusty winds. Some smoke on the northern perimeter of the fire continues to be reported by the Beartop lookout.
Fire personnel at Gates Park along with Beartop Lookout are monitoring current activities. In addition there is a Type 3 helicopter stationed at the Choteau Airport to support fire management. Two smoke monitors are in service to monitor this region: one at Ear Mountain and one in Augusta. Reports are available on-line; please go to www.inciweb.org/incident/3550 and “Related Incident Links.”
Management Actions: Evaluation and mitigation of potential risks to the public, fire personnel, and resources remains as the top priority. Heavy downfall, abundant hazardous snags and dense young lodgepole pine stands, along with remote location in the wilderness poses a challenge in ensuring safety zones and escape routes for fire personnel. A long term management plan identifying activities to slow progress and reduce intensity of the fire was completed on July 24. This plan will be routinely reviewed by District Fire Managers to ensure management actions are adequately addressing concerns identified in the plan.
Restrictions and Closures: For public safety, there are several trails closed within the Sun River Game Preserve and along the Continental Divide Trail. All forest visitors travelling in the backcountry are urged to use caution and be observant of changes in weather and fire behavior. Trail closures are updated frequently: for the current detailed map, please visit inciweb.org.
The following trails are closed in full length as of July 31: East Side Sun River #109, Rock Creek #111, Moose Ridge Lookout #125, Red Shale #130, Moonlight Peak #132, North Fork Lick Creek #151, Gates Creek #162, Ray Creek Cut-off #163, Ray Creek #164, and Gates Creek – Moose Creek #166. There are partial closures and restrictions on following trails: North Fork Sun River #110 from pack bridge north, Washboard Reef #117 from #108 to #110 junction, and North Fork Wall #174 is closed from Red Shale #130 north to Moonlight Peak #132. The Chinese Wall #175 and My Lake #194 are open to travel, but there is no camping permitted.
###
Emigrant Fire Update August 7th
Incident: Emigrant Fire Wildfire
Released: 0900 Hours
Contact: Karen Tuscano 406-223-2028
FIRE NAME: Emigrant Fire
DATE OF DETECTION: July 21, 2013
CAUSE: Lightning
CURRENT SIZE: approximately 625 acres
CONTAINMENT: 5%
LOCATION: South of Emigrant Peak, between Gold Prize Creek and North Fork Sixmile Creek
AGENCY: Gallatin National Forest
PERSONNEL AND RESOURCES ON THE FIRE: 1 helicopter, 1 engine, 1 – 15 person hand crew and overhead for a total of 30 personnel.
YESTERDAY’S ACTIVITY: The cooler temperatures and moderate relative humidities contributed to minimal fire activity on Tuesday. Yesterday’s infrared flight detected similar places with heat as were found in previous flights. The southeast corner of the fire and the Gold Prize area continue to produce the most smoke.
WEDNESDAY’S PLANNED ACT
IVITY: Wednesday’s weather forecast is calling for another day of warmer and drier conditions, which could increase fire activity. Fire personnel will be monitoring the fire from the Sixmile drainage, as well as observing the live feeds from the remote camera installed north of the fire.
The closure order for the road and trails near the fire will remain in effect. Forest officials continue to reevaluate the need for that closure. Existing hazards remain a concern for public and firefighter safety even though fire activity has been minimal.
FIRE WEATHER: Cumulus clouds will develop Wednesday, but thunderstorms are not expected near the fire until a cold front arrives Thursday afternoon. Today will be warmer and drier than Tuesday with humidity values dropping to near 20%. Cloud cover will increase Thursday afternoon, and with cooler air filtering into the area humidity values should be higher. Winds should remain light today out of the northwest at 5-10 miles per hour. The high temperature is expected to reach 77 degrees.
CLOSURES & OTHER INFORMATION: Dailey Lake and most surrounding camping areas are open to recreationists. Emigrant Fire Helibase is located on a bench approximately ¼ mile north of the lake, and that area is the only portion closed to the public at Dailey Lake Recreation area. Please be cautious of fire traffic on Dailey Lake Road.
The Forest Service portion of Sixmile Creek Road from its junction with the Dailey Lake Road will be closed until further notice.
The Sixmile Creek Trial (#61) and North Fork of Sixmile Creek Trail (#606) will be closed to their junction with Trail #601 north of Monitor Peak. Connector Trail #601 will remain open.
A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in place over the fire area to ensure the safety of the aerial fire operations.
###
Incident: Moose Meadow Wildfire
Released: 1800 Hours
Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest
FACT SHEET
For Immediate Release Fire Information: (406) 859-6005
August 7, 2013 8 a.m. Office hours: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Incident: Wildland fire, lightning-caused, reported on July 25, 2013
Location: 18 miles southeast of Philipsburg, MT and 15 miles west of Georgetown Lake, MT
Jurisdiction: Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forests
Cooperating Agencies: Other cooperating entities include the Philipsburg Volunteer Fire Department, Montana DNRC, American Red Cross, Granite County Sheriff and DES.
Incident Commander: Shawn Pearson, Northern Rockies Type II Incident Management Team (IMT).
Current Size: 3,500 acres Containment: 70%
Strategy: Full Suppression Structure Protection: Removed
Yesterday’s Activity: As predicted, fire activity was minimal because of favorable weather conditions. Crews focused efforts on gridding the fire perimeter, searching for hotspots and mopping up. All of the structure protection equipment (hose, sprinklers, pumps) was removed from the evacuated areas. Aircraft shuttled crews to inaccessible portions of the fire, provided occasional bucket drops to assist firefighters and backhauled excess equipment.
Current Resources: The number of firefighters on the incident is 260. The number of personnel assigned to this fire will decrease as containment increases. Resources assigned include seven crews,two helicopters, one water tender, and support personnel.
Today’s Activity: Clear skies and higher temperatures will dominate today. Isolated thunderstorms are likely beginning tomorrow and continuing into the weekend. Crews will continue to focus on the northeast fire flank in Senate Creek where containment is problematic with rock bluffs mixed with pockets of heavy fuels. Excess equipment will be removed from the perimeter of the fire. Air support will shuttle crews to inaccessible areas of the fire, assist with backhaul of excess equipment, and provide bucket work on hotspots.
Special Messages/Closures: The Granite County Sheriff maintains the Stage 2 Evacuation Warning for the Middle Fork Road and the Moose Lake area. The warning serves as notification that residents may still need to evacuate in the future. The Middle Fork road is open to residents but remains closed to the general public. Because of concerns for public health and safety, the fire area remains under a Forest Closure Order No. 2013-D8-029. The following trails within the closure area are closed: 8109, 8020, 8162, 8019, and 8161. Trail 313 is open; however, NF lands within the above described boundary to the north of Trail 313 are closed.
For further information, visit: www.inciweb.nwcg.gov; Select “Moose Meadows”
Content & Imagery – Courtesy: inciweb.org
2013 The NW Fire Blog
NW Fire Blog 