Condon Mountain Fire Fact Sheet - September 26
Incident: Condon Mountain Fire Wildfire
Released: 9/26/2012
FACT SHEET
Condon Mountain Fire
Swan Lake Ranger District
September 26, 2012 8:15 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: 4,650 acres
Containment: 40% Structures Threatened: 12
Status: The fire is burning in heavy timber with numerous, standing snags. The 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 for the potential of a future evacuation. However, there are no evacuations in effect at this time.
Yesterday's Activities: Crews used aerial and 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 flank has been advanced from Rumble Creek toward Road 905. 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. The Condon Mountain Fire Area Closure was expanded to include the National Forest area around Cooney Lookout and a portion of Road 560 due to heavy equipment operations in the vicinity.
Current Resources: Six 20-person crews, seven engines, ten pieces of heavy equipment, two water tenders, and five helicopters. Total personnel: 205.
Today's Activities: A weak inversion will break earlier with similar temperatures and relative humidities as yesterday and continued variable, light winds. If weather conditions permit, crews will complete needed burnout operations down to the fuelbreak along Roads 9813 and 9762 between Condon and Smith Creeks. Aerial resources with water bucket drops will be available for direct attack on any hotspots along and within the fire perimeter. A Community Meeting will be held September 27 @ 6pm at the Swan Valley Community Hall.
Restrictions/Closures: There is an Area Closure around the fire for public safety, which includes closure of Trail #29 (Smith-Little Salmon), Trail #192 (East Foothill) and the Cooney Lookout. 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"
