Thursday Update
Incident: Powell Sbw Complex Wildfire
Released: 9/13/2012
Contact: Molly Puchlerz Phone # (208)942-0303
Date Started: 7/20/2012 Total Personnel: 111
Cause: Multiple Lightning Strikes Size: 43,533 Acres
Percent Contained: 0% Injuries to Date: 0
Resources: 1 Type 1 Helicopter, 7 engines, 1 Type 2 IA crew, and 2 water tenders.
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: Continued light winds, higher humidity's and cooler temperatures added in regulating fire growth on Wednesday. Fire activity consisted of isolated torching and backing fire. Ground operations continued patrols along the Beaver Ridge containment line and along Lochsa River, north of the Freeze Out Queen fire, to make sure no spots jumped Highway 12. Additional fuel was flown into a remote start water pump and sprinkler system which has been set up to protect a backcountry bridge along the Warm Spring Trail.
Today's Activities: Command of the Powell SBW complex was transitioned to Rodney Weeks' Type 3 Team at 6:00 am. Weather forecasts call for warmer and drier conditions with the development of a strong thermal belt and inversion. This forecast has both positive and negative impacts to fire activity, the hotter and drier circumstances will lower relative humidity and increase potential fire growth above the thermal belt but the where the inversion is in place the smoke will linger shading out the sun keeping the humidity higher and inhibiting growth. Firefighters will continue to keep a close eye on the Powell SBW Complex because although the fire behavior has been benign lately there is still a lot of heat in and around the perimeters and no precipitation predicted in the near future. Helicopter will continue to be used today to cool down any active fire along the Highway 12 corridor. Ground forces will continue to patrol Beaver Ridge and the Highway 12 corridor.
For Tips on Keeping Your House Firewise: http://www.idahofirewise.org/
