Update for September 1, 2012
Incident: Gilead Wildfire
Released: 9/1/2012
Fire information
Phone 307.684.7331 or www.inciweb.org/incident/3220/
Fire location
On the Bighorn National Forest
About 10 miles northwest of Buffalo, Wyo.
Size
970 acres
Cause
Lightning
Public meetings: 7:00 pm, Saturday, September 1, at the Fire Hall in Story
7:00 pm, Sunday, September 2, at the Fairgrounds Community Building in Buffalo
Area closure The area closure and map are available at Bighorn Nation Forest offices, www.inciweb.org/incident/3220/, and www.fs.usda.gov/bighorn/
Overview: The Gilead Fire was started by lightning on August 14. The fire is burning in lodgepole pine in a remote area characterized by very rough and rocky terrain. Firefighter and public safety are the highest priorities on all fires. This is an extremely remote, rugged area with continuous heavy fuels. Firefighters and managers realized that there are no safety zones or escape routes and that evacuation would be extremely difficult.
Planned actions: Helicopters will be used to drop water and to check fire spread to the north and east. Firefighters and a dozer are constructing indirect line in the event the fire comes out of the inaccessible terrain into an area where the fire can be suppressed safely. Structures continue to be prepared for protection. Aerial resources will be prepositioned to assist ground crews. Fire managers continue to assess areas ahead of the fire for potential suppression actions.
Smoke: Smoke will be visible today.
Weather outlook: Another red flag warning for the area until 9 pm today. Temperatures in the 80s. Thunderstorms with lightning and erratic winds will move through with a cold front, ideal conditions for new fires to start and existing fires to grow. Some rain is possible later in the day into the evening.
Current resources: Three helicopters (two light and one heavy), one dozer, eight engines, one five-person hand crew, and one 10-person hand crew, for a total of 90 personnel assigned to the fire. Additional hand crews, aircraft, and engines have been ordered. Resources are limited and will be assigned based on priority. A mobile fire retardant base is being set up in Buffalo to allow for quicker turnaround times to the fire for a retardant plane.
Fire danger: Extreme - conditions are very dry
Evacuations/injuries: None
