Fire Update August 20
Incident: Steep Corner Wildfire
Released: 8/20/2012
FACT SHEET Steep Corner Fire
Clearwater-Potlatch Timber Protective Association (C-PTPA)
August 20th, 2012 8:00 a.m.
Information Officer: Ted Pettis
Info Phone @ (208) 464-1241 w/ answering machine
Office hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Incident: This wildland fire started on 8/10/2012; Cause is under investigation.
Location: Twenty-five miles northeast of Orofino, ID.
Agency Jurisdiction: Idaho-Department of Lands and Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest
Fire Protection Responsibility: Clearwater-Potlatch Timber Protective Association
Cooperating Agencies: Clearwater County Commissioners & Sheriff Offices, Potlatch Corp
Incident Commander: Shawn Pearson, Northern Rockies Type II Incident Management Team (IMT). The Incident Command Post (ICP) is located at the Headquarters, ID C-PTPA office.
Current Size: 310 acres Containment: 60%
Structures Threatened: None
Status: The fire is burning in logging slash and standing timber. The fire perimeter is exceptionally hazardous with the number of hazard trees being encountered requiring assessment and very skilled saw work. An area of steep, inaccessible terrain on the east flank continues to hamper fire containment efforts with hazard trees and rolling material. Helicopter water bucket drops are available to support suppression activities.
The IMT is delegated an Initial Attack responsibility for only C-PTPA fire protection lands covering 41,000 acres, while providing IA support to USFS fire protection lands.
Yesterday's Activities: Firefighters have met the containment objectives on the west, south, and north flanks of the fire by completing the required total mop-up 100 feet inside the fire perimeter. The last of the containment line was completed on the east flank with hose lays down to Steep Creek. A small area on the north side of Steep Creek was burned out where we had unburned fuels between the containment line and the fire edge.
Current Resources: Four 20-person crews, five engines, two skidgines, two water tenders, and two helicopters. Total personnel: 181.
Today's Activities: Another warm day that will transition to mostly cloudy by late today and tomorrow with light southwest winds as a moist Pacific weather system approaches.
A focus over the next two days will be to secure the containment line on the east flank. The concentration to mop up activities will require heavy saw work, supported with hose lays.
Restrictions/Closures: In addition, a temporary flight restriction (TFR) is in effect surrounding the Steep Corner Fire area. The C-PTPA landing strip at Headquarters, ID is temporarily closed for fire-based activities.
For further information, visit: www.inciweb.org; Select "Steep Corner"
