09/06/12 - Daily Fire Update
Incident: Black Tail Ridge Wildfire
Released: 9/6/2012
The Black Tail Ridge Fire is burning in the Combest Creek area on Montana Department of Natural Resources and Plum Creek Timber Company lands, approximately three air miles south of Plains, Montana.
Rick Kusicko's Type II Northern Rockies Incident Management Team assumed command of the Black Tail Ridge Fire on Tuesday, September 4th at 6:00 a.m. The Incident Command Post for the fire has been established at the Sanders County Fairgrounds.
A cold front moved into the area last night, bringing a shift in the wind direction and cooler temperatures. Some precipitation may also occur as a result of this system, but it is not expected to be a wetting rain.
As Operations Section Chief, Mike Almas declared, "we had a great day yesterday!" Many of the constructed fire lines around the fire are now secure enough to be called contained. In order to further secure the containment lines, crews allowed the fire to slowly back down to a road along the western edge, resulting in an increase in fire size.
Crews made good progress along western and northwestern flank of the fire by mopping up approximately 70 feet in from the fire's edge. Along the southern fire perimeter handcrews completed fire line through a very steep, inaccessible area. On the eastern fire flank crews worked not only to construct direct fire line, but also began constructing a shaded fuel break along the East Fork Combest Creek Road to strengthen a contingency line.
Closures: For public safety, the Lolo National Forest has closed access to several roads in the fire area, including portions of the East and West Fork of Combest Creek Road. In addition, a Temporary Flight Restriction is also in effect surrounding the fire area.
For more info on the Black Tail Ridge Fire: Please contact Information Officers, Jennifer Costich, Lisa Keibler or John Hamilton at 406-826-7044.
