Gilead Fire Update 9/10/2012
Incident: Gilead Wildfire
Released: 9/10/2012
Fire Information Phone 307-684-2161 or www.inciweb.org/incident/3220/
Fire Location Approximately 8 miles southwest of Story WY and
approximately 10 miles northwest of Buffalo, WY.
Cause Lightning
Size 5760 Acres
Fire Containment 45%
Forest Service Area closure: The area closure and map are available at Bighorn National Forest offices, www.fs.usda.gov/bighorn/ and www.inciweb.org/incident/3220/
Overview: The Gilead Fire began August 14 with a lightning strike on the Bighorn NF. The San Juan Hotshots, a helicopter and local firefighters re-conned the fire, determining that the terrain precluded putting firefighters on the ground. Helicopter bucket drops continued for the better part of two weeks. On August 29, the fire grew from 15 acres to 700 acres. Chuck Russell's Type 3 Incident Management Team assumed command of the fire on August 30.
Closures: The Bud Love Wildlife Habitat Management Unit is closed to public use. Within the Bighorn National Forest, trails and roads are closed. Forest Service trails include Trails 040, 039, 043, 010, 553, 549, 051, 550, 401, 042, 133, 106, 084, and 041. Forest Service roads include FSR 396 (Rock Creek Road) from the junction with FSR 399 (South Rock Creek Road), and FSR 388 (Keno Creek Road) in its entirety.
Yesterday's events/actions: Crews continued to make good progress. The eastern flank was patrolled and supplies are being hauled out. Fireline from Ginger's Cabin to Helispot #2 was constructed. Helicopters continued support bucket drops on the southern flank.
Planned events/actions: Construction of direct containment lines will be continued on the southwest corner. Reinforcement of line is on-going. Resources will be positioned around fire today in anticipation of weather event.
Weather outlook: A red flag warning will be in effect from noon today through midnight Tuesday. 12-20 mph winds from the southwest, gusting to 26 mph in the afternoon are expected. Some fire growth is expected today due to the conditions.
Current resources: Four helicopters (one light, two medium, and one heavy), three hotshot crews, one five-person fuel module, three Hand Crews, one Type 2IA crew, five engines, two dozers, two water tenders and 45 support personnel are assigned to the fire, for a total of 203 personnel. A mobile fire retardant base has been set up in Buffalo to allow for quicker turnaround times to the fire for a retardant plane. Cost to date is $1.7 million.
Fire danger: Extreme - conditions are very dry. Stage 1 Fire Restrictions are in effect on the Bighorn NF. See www.fs.usda.gov/bighorn/ for further information.
Firefighter injuries: None; 15,806 hours of work with no injuries.
