Pine Creek Fire Morning Update September 21, 2012
Incident: Pine Creek Fire Wildfire
Released: 9/21/2012
FIRE UPDATE
Pine Creek
Update: September 21, 2012 @ 9 a.m.
Contact: Fire Information: 406-222-1892
Karen Tuscano 406-223-2028
FIRE NAME: Pine Creek
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
This will be the final daily morning update. An update will be sent out every 3 days, unless fire activity warrants more frequent updates, or if there is important information to send out. Inciweb will also be updated at the same time, and may be updated more frequently.
YESTERDAY'S ACTIVITY: County and Forest Service firefighters responded to a flare-up interior of the fire perimeter in the Barney Creek area yesterday evening. They used a series of pumps and hoses to distribute water and put out all of the heat. Fire activity was minimal on the remainder of the fire area.
TODAY'S WEATHER AND PLANNED ACTIVITY: Today's weather conditions will be similar to yesterday, and are expected to continue through the weekend. The predicted high today is 82 degrees, with a minimum relative humidity of 15%. Winds will be out of the southwest in the morning at 5-15 mph, switching to the north in the afternoon.The removal of hazard trees in and around the Pine Creek Campground will continue today. The engines assigned to the fire will be patrolling the fire area and monitoring the fire activity. The helicopter will be available for water bucket drops if the activity increases, or if the portion of the fire in the North Fork of Deep Creek starts to move down slope.
A Pine Creek Fire Community Recovery Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 25th, at 7:00p.m. at the Pine Creek Methodist Church. The meeting will include presentations by local specialists on recovery assistance. For questions about the meeting, please contact Greg Coleman at 406-222-4188.
PERSONNEL AND RESOURCES ON THE FIRE: There are approximately 30 personnel assigned, including 3 engines and 1 helicopter.
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 is now open to the public.
One resource for determining where smoke may be drifting into the area from is http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/ml/land/currenthms.jpg.
For fire recovery and rehabilitation information and requests, 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.
Residents should be aware that helicopters could still be flying overhead, as they are assisting firefighters on the ground.
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 has been modified, but is still in effect. For more information on the closure area, a map is posted on http://www.inciweb.org/, or you can call the Yellowstone Ranger District, Livingston Office at 406-222-1892.
A Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team has begun assessing rehabilitation efforts on private land and the National Forest.
For further information, go to www.inciweb.org.
Visit the Park County DES website at www.parkcounty.org
