Halstead Fire Update 9-13-12
Incident: Halstead Wildfire
Released: 9/13/2012
Start Date: July 27, 2012 Cause: Lightning
Current Size: 154,149 acres Containment: 50%
Location: Approx. 3 miles north of Stanley, Idaho
Jurisdiction: USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Region, Salmon-Challis National Forest
Resources on the fire: 336 personnel - 5 hand crews, 11 engines, and 2 helicopters
TRANSFER TO NEW INCIDENT MANAGEMENT TEAM TO OCCUR FRIDAY
After nearly 45 days assigned to the Halstead Fire, Bob Houseman's NIMO team will turn over incident management to Marty Adell's Type 2 Team at 6:00 am Friday morning. Members of both incident management teams will present an overview of the Halstead Fire progression at a community meeting Friday night at 7:00 pm at the Stanley Community Building.
What Happened Yesterday: Fire activity was mainly creeping and smoldering as crews continued to mop-up burned areas and reinforce containment lines. Rehabilitation and repair of areas disturbed by fire suppression activities was done where there was no fire remaining. Smoke was visible from direct attack efforts by a Type 1 Hot Shot crew on the ridge above Sunbeam and Basin Creek. Helicopter water bucket drops in Harden Creek aided work on the ground. Additional rehabilitation continued around the Pioneer Cemetery at Bonanza and the Doc Day Cabin.
The Plan for Today: Ongoing suppression repair efforts will continue. Structure protection measures will remain in Yankee Fork, Sunbeam, Lost Packer Mine, and Seafoam Guard Station. Active monitoring of all fire areas will continue as crews cleanup and backhaul equipment from the fire line. Crews will clear Forest Service roads within the fire area in preparation for use when the area closure is lifted.
Air Quality: Smoke continues to drift into the valleys from other fires burning in Oregon and western Idaho. Air quality in Stanley and Challis will be good during the day but is expected to deteriorate at night and throughout the rest of the week. The Stage I air quality advisory for Lemhi and Custer Counties remains in effect.
River Closure: The Salmon River is closed to floating from Buckhorn Bridge to the Sawtooth National Recreation Area eastern boundary from September 3-22. Bank fishing is open. The river will be open to all user groups as of September 23.
Closures: The area closure for the Halstead Fire has been reduced on the eastern perimeter of the fire. The Yankee Fork Road and Forest Road 172 are now open. Along the Highway 75 Salmon River Corridor from Stanley to the Sawtooth NRA boundary, the following campgrounds are open and will be managed by the Sawtooth National Recreation Area through the end of hunting season: Casino, Mormon Bend, Upper O'Brien, Holman, and Whiskey Flat. For information and maps of 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. For more information follow us on Twitter @scnf fire info
http://inciweb.org/incident/3062/ www.flickr.com/salmonchallisnf
