Pine Creek Fire Morning Update September 16, 2012
Incident: Pine Creek Fire Wildfire
Released: 9/16/2012
FIRE UPDATE
Pine Creek
Update: September 16, 2012 @ 9 a.m.
Contact: Fire Information: 406-823-6079
Karen Tuscano 406-223-2028
DATE OF DETECTION: August 29, 2012
CAUSE: Human (under investigation)
CURRENT SIZE: 8,509 acres
CONTAINMENT: 51%
LOCATION: Pine Creek on the east side of Paradise Valley
AGENCY: Park County, Gallatin National Forest
IMT: Type III Incident Management Team, Greg Juvan, IC
YESTERDAY'S ACTIVITY: The portion of the fire in the North Fork of Deep Creek became active in the morning as soon as the sun hit that slope, and remained active throughout the day due to the low relative humidity. All of the activity was interior of the fire perimeter, and helicopters dropped water to keep the intensity of the burning low. The remainder of the fire area saw minimal activity again yesterday.
The heavy smoke that rolled in to the Livingston and Paradise Valley areas, ahead of the cold front yesterday evening, came from fires in Idaho, Washington and Oregon. For more information on where smoke is coming from, please go to http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/ml/land/currenthms.jpg.
TODAY'S WEATHER AND PLANNED ACTIVITY: The cold front that moved through last night has brought lower temperatures and higher relative humidity to the fire area. The high is expected to be 73 degrees, with a minimum relative humidity of 21%. Winds should be out of the northwest at 5-15 mph, with occasional gusts to 20 mph in the afternoon.
In the North Fork of Deep Creek, firefighters will monitor the fire activity, and use helicopter water drops as needed. Firefighters will continue mopping up hot spots in and around the Pine Creek Campground, and along the lower part of Pine Creek trail. They will also be rehabilitating fireline that is no longer needed.
As more resources leave the fire tomorrow, the Incident Command Post will be moving to the Yellowstone Ranger District, Livingston Office. The helicopters will still be assigned to the fire, and will be stationed at the Livingston airport. Other fire personnel will remain on the fire until they are no longer needed.
For those unable to attend the community information meeting yesterday, a booth will be available at the Livingston Farmer's Market on Wednesday evening to provide similar information.
PERSONNEL AND RESOURCES ON THE FIRE: There are approximately 100 personnel assigned, including 3 crews, 3 engines, 1 water tender and 2 helicopters.
SPECIAL MESSAGES & OTHER INFORMATION: Fuels in the area are extremely dry and receptive to burning. People who are interested in viewing the fire are encouraged to use Mallard's Rest fishing access site on Highway 89, and refrain from stopping on East River Road which can cause serious safety hazards. Loch Leven fishing access site on the Yellowstone River is the location of the fire's Incident Command Post, and is closed to the public.
For fire recovery and rehabilitation information, please contact the Park County DES office at 222-4190.
For non-emergency fire concerns or smoke reports, please call the Park County Rural Fire District 1 duty phone at 223-3317.
Park County is providing a manned roll off station that has been set up just north of the Pine Creek Cafe on East River Road. The use of the boxes is free of charge to the people in the area cleaning up rubble on their property from the Pine Creek Fire. All food items must be taken to the Divide Road green boxes. One roll off will be for metal, wood, and appliances. Another box will be for items that can blow away, and they will need to be bagged before thrown onto the roll off. This location will be open 7 days a week from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. until further notice. Check http://www.parkcounty.org/ for updates about this service.
All pre-evacuation notices associated with the Pine Creek Fire have been lifted. The fire will continue to burn until it receives significant moisture, but fire and Park County officials feel that the risk of the fire impacting residents has decreased. People should expect to see smoke coming from the fire area for the next few weeks.
People are urged to travel slowly and cautiously with the increased fire traffic during the early morning and early evening hours, and school buses on the roads. Be sure to obey all traffic signs and drive defensively.
Residents should be aware that helicopters could still be flying overhead, as they are assisting firefighters on the ground.
A temporary flight restriction (TFR) is in place over the fire area in order to safeguard aerial fire operations.
Roads closed to travel by the general public include Deep Creek Road, Lower Deep Creek Bench Road and Luccock Park Road.
The area closure on the Gallatin National Forest is still in effect. The Pine Creek Campground and Trailhead will be closed for the remainder of the year.
A Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team has begun assessing rehabilitation efforts on private land, and will be working on the National Forest in the coming weeks.
For further information, go to www.inciweb.org.
Visit the Park County DES website at www.parkcounty.org
