Condon Mountain Fire Fact Sheet - September 30
Incident: Condon Mountain Fire Wildfire
Released: 9/30/2012
FACT SHEET
Condon Mountain Fire
Swan Lake Ranger District
September 30, 2012 9:00 a.m.
Information Officers: Katie Knotek & 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: 5,250 acres
Containment: 45% 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 between McKay and Cooney Creeks within 1½ miles of the current fire perimeter. Structure protection has been established. 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. An air quality monitor has been set up at Condon Work Center. To monitor the local air quality, go to http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/smoke.pl and select "Smoke 24."
Yesterday's Activities: Minimal fire activity allowed firefighters to finish building hand line at mid-slope along the fire's edge between Smith Creek and Cooney Creek. Mop up work to extinguish all fire within 200 feet of the fire perimeter between Condon and Smith Creeks continued with extensive saw work and hose lays. The advancing to mop-up stage on this section of perimeter benefited greatly from the successful burn out operation firefighters recently accomplished. Helicopters were again used for water bucket drops to cool hotspots. Rehabilitation and erosion control work began on the north flank in Dog Creek.
Current Resources: Three 20-person crews, one 10-person crew, five engines, one piece of heavy equipment, two water tenders, and four helicopters. Total personnel: 184.
Today's Activities: Weather today will include temperatures in the 70's, relative humidity around 30% and variable winds up to 18 mph on the ridge tops. Crews will continue mop-up activities between Condon and Smith Creeks. Crews will work to hold and improve the established fire line between Smith and Cooney Creeks. Support from helicopters with water bucket drops are available as needed.
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 fire area and the Condon Airstrip is closed to all non-fire aircraft.
For further information, visit: www.inciweb.org; Select "Condon Mountain"
