Saturday Update Powell Sbw Complex
Incident: Powell Sbw Complex Wildfire
Released: 9/1/2012
POWELL SBW FIRE COMPLEX
Saturday September 1, 2012
Nez Perce - Clearwater National Forests
Loc
Contact: Bob MacGregor
(208)942-0303
Date Started: 7/20/2012 Total Personnel: 141
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, 1 log forwarder 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: Smoky conditions prevailed across the fires and throughout the Lochsa valley. Smoke generated from this complex and from the McGuire Complex, west of Dixie, Idaho, filled low lying areas and inhibited fire behavior by not allowing the sun to warm fuels. The fires stayed within their perimeters with occasional torching and limited uphill runs. The smoke is a double edged sword, while it depresses fire activity it also limits the use of aerial resources and affects the health of firefighters and residents. Operations on Friday included continued construction of a fuel break across Beaver Ridge, north of the Fern fire, using timber harvesting equipment. Crews also mopped up the remnant hot spots left from the burn out around the Elk Summit Guard Station and Campground. A remote pump and associated sprinkler system is set up on the Bear Pack Bridge and is tested and ready to go if the bridge is threatened by the fire in the future. A similar pump system is being constructed on the Warm Springs Pack Bridge.
Today's Activities: Continued smoky conditions combined with lower temperatures, higher humidity and winds that are shifting to the west, a better direction for how the topography lies on these fires, will limit fire behavior on Saturday. Operations Section Chief Jeff Knudson predicts that crews working with logging equipment from the east and west sides of Beaver Ridge will meet up today and complete the contingency fuel break. Firefighters will be assessing structures around the Powell Ranger Station, Lochsa Lodge and the community of Powell to update protection plans, although fire movement toward Town is not likely in the near future with the forecasted weather having these plans updated will assist fire managers in being prepared and on future incidents.
For Updates follow this incident at: http://www.inciweb.org/incident/3226/
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 (see attached map).
