Summary
Late Sunday afternoon, July 29, 2007 there was a report of a fire burning on US Forest Service lands on the Livingston District. The Porcupine fire is estimated at 124 acres and is burning into steep rocky terrain in the Crazy Mountains north and east of Wilsall, MT. The actual site of the fire is in the headwaters of South Fork of the Shields River, between Black Mountain and Sunlight Peak. Much of the fire is bordered by rocky cliffs to the north and east. There are 23 forest personnel on the site, including smoke jumpers, rappellers and other forest fire crew members. There is also one helicopter working the fire with bucket drops.
"People may see more smoke in that area throughout the afternoon due to low humidity's and a changing weather front" states Ashley Sites, East Zone Fire Management Officer "due to extreme terrain and limited fuels within the fire, personnel will be building line along the perimeter north and west side, encouraging it to run out of fuel in the rocks".
The South Fork of Shield Trail #265 will be closed for public health and safety.
Basic Information
| Incident Type | Wildland Fire |
|---|---|
| Cause | Lightning |
| Date of Origin | 07/29/2007 at 1630 hrs. |
| Location | 24 Miles NE of Livinston, MT |
| Incident Commander | Sutton |
Current Situation
| Total Personnel | 20 |
|---|---|
| Size | 124 acres |
| Percent Contained | 20% |
| Estimated Containment Date | 10/01/2007 at hrs. |
| Fuels Involved | 10 Timber (litter and understory), Timber FM-10 |
| Fire Behavior | Active burning in the thermal belt all night. Creeping, torching and spotting. |
| Significant Events | Hold and improve fireline at the heel and begin work on contingency fireline. Continue bucket work. Heavy fuels across the Drainage and Down Drainage. Terrain Extremely Steep and Rocky. Control problems-Spotting and creeping through rocks, unable to reach mineral soil. |
Outlook
| Planned Actions | Continue Handline running into Natural Barriers, Continue Bucket work with helicopters |
|---|---|
| Projected Movement | upslope, updrainage |
| Growth Potential | Medium |
| Terrain Difficulty | Extreme |
| Remarks | Continue to be able to limit significant growth as long as helicopters can continue bucket work. Assessing the long-term threat to structures and private land to the North. Control options outside the immediate fire area are limited due to heavy fuels. |
Weather
| Current Wind Conditions | 3 mph S |
|---|---|
| Current Temperature | 80 degrees |
| Current Humidity | 30 % |
