Aug 30 Halstead Fire Update
Incident: Halstead Wildfire
Released: 8/30/2012
Start Date: August 30, 2012 Cause: Lightning
Current Size: 116,850 acres Containment: 7%
Location: Approx. 3 miles north of Stanley, Idaho
Jurisdiction: USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Region, Salmon-Challis National Forest
Resources on the fire: 550 personnel, including 6 hand crews, 35 engines and 6 helicopters
Community Meeting: A community meeting will be held on Thursday, Aug. 30 at 7 p.m. at the Challis Middle School Auditorium.
Forecast: Today will see continued warm and dry weather. Southwesterly winds will be gusty in the afternoon and early evening. That southwesterly flow will continue into Friday and Saturday. High temperatures will range from 66 to 72 along the ridges and 77 to 82 in the valleys. Humidity levels will range from 6% to 15%.
Highway 75 Closure Update: Highway 75 remains closed between Lower Stanley at Mile Marker 192 and Gardner Creek at Mile Marker 206.6 due to the Halstead Fire. This section begins approximately 1 1/2 miles east of Stanley and continues to approximately 5 miles east of Sunbeam. It is difficult to predict when conditions will be safe for motorists due to changing fire conditions and reduced visibility from smoke. Travelers are encouraged to find alternate routes. Highways 21 from Boise and 75 from Ketchum remain open into Stanley.
Remarks: Firefighters will continue to monitor the Bench, Copper and New fires and will begin assessing the Bench fire for fireline rehabilitation. Yesterday, winds from the south and southwest allowed firefighters to continue to bolster the Cow Camp, Cape Horn, and Stanley Creek holding lines. Fire activity has increased on the southern flank of the fire. Firefighters will continue operations to protect the Hwy 75 and 21 corridors including the Yankee Fork area.
Firewise Landscaping Tips: If you have vehicles or recreational gear stored outside, keep vehicles and campers away from the house and make sure all windows are closed and truck beds are kept clear of debris. http://www.idahofirewise.org/.
Closures: Know before you go. A large area around the Halstead Fire is closed. For information on the closure area visit: www.fs.usda.gov/sawtooth and www.fs.usda.gov/scnf . For a high resolution map of the closure area go to the Flickr site www.flickr.com/salmonchallisnf.
The following CAMPGROUNDS are closed due to the fire closure: Beaver Creek, Lola Creek, Marsh Creek Transfer, O'Brien, Josephus Lake, and campgrounds along the Salmon River from Lower Stanley to Indian Riffles, including: Salmon, Casino, Riverside and Mormon Bend Campgrounds as well as those in the Yankee Fork area including: Blind Creek, Flat Rock, Pole Flat, Custer No. 1 and Eight Mile.
Air Quality: For more information on smoke, visit http://airquality.deq.idaho.gov/
Hwy 21 remains open within the closure area.
The Boundary Creek Road (FS 579) to the Middle Fork remains open.
For more information follow us on Twitter @scnf fire info
http://inciweb.org/incident/3062/ www.flickr.com/salmonchallisnf
