Condon Mountain Fire Fact Sheet - September 25
Incident: Condon Mountain Fire Wildfire
Released: 9/25/2012
FACT SHEET
Condon Mountain Fire
Swan Lake Ranger District
September 25, 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: USFS, 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: 4,450 acres
Containment: 40% Structures Threatened: 12
Status: The fire is burning in heavy timber with numerous, standing snags. The fire area consists of steep, hazardous terrain with high potential for rollout and spotting. The fire is located just west of the Bob Marshall Wilderness and is visible from Highway 83. There are structures in the Swan Valley within 1½ miles of the current fire perimeter. All residents east of Highway 83 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 actively backing downhill with short uphill runs. Crews used hand lighting to bring fire further downhill between Condon and Smith Creeks to help with containment efforts. Construction of the mechanical fuelbreak on the southwest side has been advanced from Cooney Mountain Lookout southward crossing Rumble to the South Fork of Rumble Creek. Engine crews worked around the structures nearest to the fire between McKay and Cooney Creeks to clear away hazardous fuels and set up sprinklers. Helicopters were used for water bucket drops to cool hotspots.
Current Resources: Five 20-person crews, nine engines, ten pieces of heavy equipment, three water tenders, and five helicopters. Total personnel: 197.
Today's Activities: Localized clouds will keep temperatures in the mid-70's with relative humidity around 30%, and variable, light winds. Today, the fire is expected to continue actively backing and flanking with short uphill runs in the Cooney Creek drainage on the southern flank and toward the Swan River Valley on the western flank. Crews will continue improving constructed fuelbreaks north of Cooney Creek and will conduct additional burnout operations if needed. Aerial resources with water bucket drops will be available for direct attack on any hotspots along and within the fire perimeter.
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: www.inciweb.org; Select "Condon Mountain"
