Condon Mountain Fire Fact Sheet - September 24
Incident: Condon Mountain Fire Wildfire
Released: 9/24/2012
FACT SHEET
Condon Mountain Fire
Swan Lake Ranger District
September 24, 2012 8:30 a.m.
Information Officers: Katie Knotek, Colter Pence & Ted Pettis
Fire Information Line: (406) 754-0127 w/answering machine
Office hours: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
New Email: condonmountainfire@gmail.com
Incident: The Condon Mountain Fire was started by lightning on 7/28.
Location: Approximately 4 miles northeast of Condon, MT.
Agency Jurisdiction: USDA Forest Service, Flathead National Forest; Montana DNRC, Swan River State Forest
Cooperating Agencies: Swan Valley Rural Fire Dept., Lake County Sheriff's Office, Missoula County Sheriff's Office, Missoula County OES, Lake County OES, Swan Ecosystem Center
Incident Commander: Shawn Pearson, Northern Rockies Type II Incident Management Team (IMT). The Incident Command Post (ICP) is located at the Condon Work Center.
Current Size: 4,240 acres
Containment: 40% Structures Threatened: 12
Status: The fire is burning in heavy timber with dead, standing whitebark pine, Douglas-fir, and subalpine fir. The fire area consists of steep, hazardous terrain with high potential for rollout, spotting, and snags. The fire is located just west of the Bob Marshall Wilderness and is visible from Highway 83. There structures in the valley bottom are within 1 ½ miles of the current fire perimeter. All residents in the Condon area are under a "Ready" Stage 1 Alert of the potential for future evacuation. However, there are no evacuations in effect at this time.
Yesterday's Activities: The fire was again active with short crown runs and single tree torching. Construction of the mechanical fuelbreak along Road 9762 was improved from Cooney Mountain Lookout toward Road 905, crossing Rumble Creek, and extended south towards Road 905. Hand crews worked to improve existing fuel breaks. Engine crews worked around the structures nearest to the fire to clear away fuels and set up sprinklers. Helicopters were used for water bucket drops to cool hotspots. Helicopters also helped initial attack a human-caused fire near Lindbergh Lake, which was contained at 1 acre.
Current Resources: Four 20-person crews, nine engines, eleven pieces of heavy equipment, three water tenders, and six helicopters. Total personnel: 191.
Today's Activities: With clearing clouds and inversion, temperatures today will be slightly warmer with relative humidity around 27%, and variable, light winds. Today, the fire is expected to continue backing and flanking into the Cooney Creek drainage on the southern flank and toward the Swan River Valley on the western flank. Short uphill runs are also likely to occur. Crews will continue improving constructed fuelbreaks north of Cooney Creek and will conduct additional burnout operations if needed. Aerial resources with water drops will be used for a direct attack on the fire.
Restrictions/Closures: There is an Area Closure around the fire for public safety, which also closes Trail #29 (Smith-Little Salmon) & Trail #192 (East Foothill). Trails #415 and #42 remain open. A temporary flight restriction (TFR) is in effect surrounding the Condon Mountain Fire area and the Condon Airstrip is closed to all non-fire aircraft until further notice.
For further information, visit: http://www.inciweb.org/; Select "Condon Mountain"
