Powell Sbw Complex
Incident: Powell Sbw Complex Wildfire
Released: 8/31/2012
POWELL SBW FIRE COMPLEX
Friday, August 31, 2012
Nez Perce - Clearwater National Forests
Contact: Bob MacGregor
(208)942-0303
Date Started: 7/20/2012 Total Personnel: 128
Cause: Multiple Lightning Strikes Size: 26,505
Percent Contained: 0% Injuries to Date: 0
Resources: 1 Type 1 Helicopter, 1 Type 3 Helicopter, 3 engines, 1 Type 1 crew, 3 Type 2IA crews, 2 feller-bunchers, 2 skidders and 1 excavator.
Location: The complex consists of three main and numerous small fires situated in an arc running southeast to southwest of the town of Powell, Idaho, straddling the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness boundary. The three main fires are named from east to west as: Fern, Cedar and Freeze Out Queen.
Yesterday' Activities: Smoke shading the fires combined with winds not as strong as forecasted limited fire behavior to short, uphill runs with scattered individual tree torching. An infrared imagery flight taken on Thursday night showed areas of intense heat along the northwest and west flanks of Fern, scattered pockets of intense heat on the east, north and west side of Cedar and an area of intense heat along the north portion of Freeze Out Queen. Thursday's operations included a small burn out to limit the fuels around the Elk Summit Guard Station, constructing a fuel break along Beaver Ridge using forestry equipment, such as feller-bunchers and excavators, and setting up a pump and sprinkler system at the Bear Pack Bridge as a contingency. Diane Hutton's Wildland Fire Management Team assumed command of the fire on Thursday morning. The Forest Supervisor of the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests expanded the closure areas around the fires (see below).
Today's Activities: Weather forecasts call for warmer and drier weather on Friday with 6 to 11 mile per hour winds from the southwest. The relative humidity did not rise significantly overnight and will be in the 11 to 16% range today which is very dry. These conditions could lead to increased fire activity today and fire managers are especially keeping an eye on the north flank of the Queen Freeze fire which has topography that aligns well with the forecasted wind direction for growth to the northeast. Operations today will include mopping up the burn out around the Elk Summit Guard Station, continuing fuel reduction work on Beaver Ridge and beginning protection efforts on the Warm Springs Pack Bridge.
(Cont.)
Closures:
The Area within the described boundary beginning at the Idaho-Montana Boundary and the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness (SBW) boundary in Sec. 32, T38N, R17E, Boise Meridian (BM), thence southwesterly along the SBW boundary to the east ¼ section corner of section 6, T37N, R17E, BM, thence westerly to the west ¼ section corner of sec. 2, T37N, R16E, BM, thence southerly to the southwest section corner of section 2, T37N, R16E, BM, thence westerly along the section line to Trail 940, thence southerly along Trail 940 to Road 369 at Beaver Ridge Lookout, thence westerly along Beaver Ridge ridge top to Roundtop Lookout, thence southwesterly along the ridge top to the approximate N 1/16th section corner on the west section line of section 30, T37N, R15E, BM, thence southerly to the southwest section corner of section 30, T37N, R15E, BM, thence westerly to the southwest section corner of section 25, T37N, R14E, BM, thence southerly to the southeast section corner of section 35, T37N, R14E, BM, thence easterly to the northeast section corner of section 1, T36N, R14E, BM, thence southerly to the southeast corner of section 1, T36N, R14E, BM, thence westerly to the southwest section corner of section 1, T36N, R14E, BM, thence southerly to the southeast section corner of section 11, T36N, R14E, BM, thence westerly to the east 1/16th corner of sections 11 and 14, T36N, R14E, BM, thence northerly to center-east 1/16th corner of section 11, T36N, R14E, BM, thence westerly to the ¼ section corner of sections 10 and 11, T35N, R14E, BM, thence northerly to the northeast section corner of section 10, T36N, R14E, BM, thence westerly to the east 1/16th section corner of sections 3 and 10, T36N, R14E, BM, thence northerly to the northeast of the southeast 1/16th corner of section 3, T36N, R14E, BM, thence westerly to the south 1/16th corner of sections 3 and 4, T36N, R14E, BM, thence northerly to the northeast corner of section 4, T36N, R14E, BM, thence westerly to the southeast section corner of section 32, T37N, R14E, BM, thence northerly along the section line to the south bank of the Lochsa River, thence westerly along the south bank of the Lochsa River to trail 469 at Mocus Point Pack Bridge, thence southerly along Trail 469 to the junction of Trail 208, thence southerly along Trail 208 to the junction of Sponge Creek and Fish Lake Creek, thence southerly along Fish Lake Creek to junction of California Creek and Trail 211, thence southeasterly along Trail 211 to the junction of Trail 644 at the Nez Perce and Clearwater National Forests boundary, thence easterly along Nez Perce and Clearwater National Forests boundary to the Idaho-Montana boundary at Blodgett Mountain, thence northerly along the Idaho-Montana boundary to the point of beginning.
