Firefighters Report Progress on Dahl, Hawk Creek Fires
Incident: Dahl Fire Wildfire
Released: 6/28/2012
June 27, 2012, 11:00pm, Roundup, Montana - Containment lines are beginning to take shape around two wildfires in Musselshell County, and firefighters home a favorable weather forecast for the next few days will enable them to shore up those lines against an approaching cold front Sunday.
The Hawk Fire - south of Melstone and the smaller of the two blazes - is lined and crews will continue with mop-up and patrol activities tomorrow. "The work done by the local rural and volunteer firefighters was incredible," said Information Officer Dixie Dies, who also noted significant progress on all sides of the Dahl Fire today. The west end of the Dahl fire has a line constructed by heavy equipment - activities to reinforce the line and mop-up hot spots will continue tomorrow. The same is true for the southern boundary of the fire.
Along the east boundary the fire expanded earlier today, which prompted some additional evacuations. There are concerns about areas of unburned fuel and the potential for fire spread. But the primary concern for firefighters is the northern flank of the fire - due in part to the large number of structures to the north. Because of that, firefighters will focus their efforts and resources on the north flank, working night and daytime operational shifts and utilizing aerial resources. Tomorrow, there will be between 3-5 helicopters and two air tankers available to work on the blaze. One 20-person crew is working the fire, with orders in for four additional crews.
There is reason to be hopeful regarding the suppression effort. The weather forecast through Saturday is favorable: though high temperatures will persist, humidity will be up and the winds are expected to be light and variable. Firefighters will seize this window of opportunity and prepare for a predicted cold front that is forecast for the area Sunday or Monday.
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