Halstead Fire Update 9-18-12
Incident: Halstead Wildfire
Released: 9/18/2012
Start Date: July 27, 2012 Cause: Lightning
Current Size: 168,106 acres Containment: 57%
Location: Approx.18 miles north of Stanley, Idaho
Jurisdiction: USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Region, Salmon-Challis National Forest
Resources on the fire: 167 personnel - 3 hand crews, 6 engines, and 2 helicopters
LOON CREEK ROAD CLOSED TODAY
Loon Creek Road (Forest Road 172) above Hecla Mine to Loon Creek Guard Station will be closed today from 9 am to 9 pm while fire managers assess the need for a burnout to stop fire progression to the road.
Community Meeting Tonight: Suppression repair and rehabilitation efforts for the 168,000-acre Halstead Fire will be the main topic of a presentation Tuesday evening at the Community Building in Stanley. The meeting will begin at 7:00 pm and will include an update on the current status of operations on the fire.
What happened yesterday: The fire was active in Duffield Creek near the Sheep Mountain area. Near Loon Creek Summit the fire grew near Jordan Mountain and into Jordan Creek with some active spotting. Monday afternoon a new fire was detected on the Boise National Forest just west of the Halstead Incident. Halstead air operations responded by sending two helicopters to suppress the Four Creeks Fire, which grew to six acres by Monday evening. Lola Campground and Marsh Creek were closed. Rehabilitation and suppression repair work continued on the southern perimeter of the fire.
The Plan for Today: Operations will look for opportunities to conduct a burnout west of the Loon Creek Road (Forest Road 172) to halt the fire's eastward progression towards the road. A hand crew and helicopter will assist containing the Four Creeks Fire southwest of the Halstead Incident. Efforts will continue to secure the area around Marsh Creek and Lola Campground. Suppression repair work and rehabilitation of dozer lines continue in affected areas along the southern flank of the fire. Structure protection measures remain in place along Yankee Fork, Seafoam Guard Station and around Lost Packer Mine.
Fire Weather: Temperatures are expected to be a few degrees higher today with light winds. Despite the winds, air quality below 7500-foot elevation will remain stagnant with reduced visibility. An inversion at 1300 feet above the valley is unlikely to lift today. 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. For more information follow us on Twitter @scnf fire info. http://inciweb.org/incident/3062/ www.flickr.com/salmonchallisnf
