Fire Update Wed Aug 8 at 8 Am
Incident: Sarpy Hills Complex Wildfire
Released: 8/8/2012
The weather Tuesday warranted a Red Flag Warning for extreme conditions but the Sarpy Hills Complex was quiet. At 5:00 p.m. Little Big Horn Battlefield recorded 99 degrees F, 7 % relative humidity and wind gusts up to 26 mph. Firefighters remain ready near Fort Smith, Lodge Grass, Pryor and Crow past dark Tuesday.
"In Tuesday's weather, fire may spread at 2 to 5 miles an hour," said Fire Behavior Analyst Stewart Turner. Grass fire can move faster than a person can walk.
An equipment fire burned 180 acres in about 15 minutes, 4 miles southwest of Hardin on the Crow Reservation. The Torske fire spread to 180 acres and took 4 helicopters flying in concert to contain, as well as 2 Crow engines, 2 fire engines, 1 grader and 1 water tender from Big Horn County. The Crow helicopter, Navajo helicopter and a medium and heavy helicopter assigned to the Sarpy Complex all reached the fire within 15 minutes of the first report. The fire threatened numerous structures that were all successfully protected.
On the Sarpy Hills Complex, the fire did not grow in size and crews continued to mop up and rehab the firelines for quick recovery. More than 200 people were demobilized from the Sarpy Hills complex, but 431 personnel remain. The 82,000 acre fire is now 85 % contained. At the Firehouse Spike Camp located on Sarpy Basin Road, 350 firefighters remain active working on the Rosebud Complex. The Rosebud Complex team will assume command of the spike camp Wednesday.
