Halstead Fire Update 9-17-12
Incident: Halstead Wildfire
Released: 9/17/2012
Start Date: July 27, 2012 Cause: Lightning
Current Size: 168,106 acres Containment: 50%
Location: Approx.18 miles north of Stanley, Idaho
Jurisdiction: USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Region, Salmon-Challis National Forest
Resources on the fire: 254 personnel - 4 hand crews, 11 engines, and 2 helicopters
COMMUNITY MEETING SCHEDULED TO REVIEW REHABILITATION EFFORTS
Suppression repair and rehabilitation efforts for the 168,000-acre Halstead Fire will be the main topic of a presentation tomorrow evening at the Community Building in Stanley. The meeting will begin Tuesday at 7:00 pm and will include an update on the current status of operations on the fire.
What happened Yesterday: The eastern flank of the Halstead Fire was fairly quiet on Sunday due to smoky conditions. On the western side, there was active burning and some spot fires detected. Ground work continued to suppress the new spots, complete a burnout around structures at the Seafoam Guard Station, and secure the area. Fire did burn through the Rapid River Campground, destroying all four campsites and toilet facility. Lola Campground and Marsh Creek were closed and operations are underway to prevent damage to the campground. Structure protection continues along Yankee Fork and around Lost Packer Mine.
The Plan for Today: Mop up efforts will continue to clean up the area around the Seafoam Guard Station following yesterday's burnout operation. Engines will be stationed at Lost Packer Mine and monitor fire activity in the China Creek drainage. Suppression repair work and rehabilitation of dozer lines will continue in affected areas along the southern flank of the fire. The Marsh Creek area will be monitored to pick up any new spot fires from lightning that came through the area Sunday afternoon.
Fire Weather: A thunderstorm came through the Sunday with lightning with very little moisture received on the fire. Gusty winds accompanying the storm cleared out smoke in the Stanley area but an inversion returned by this morning. There is no measurable precipitation in the weather for the remainder 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 during salmon spawning. Bank fishing is open. The river will be open to all user groups as of September 23.
Closures: 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.
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