InciWeb - Incident Information System

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Fire Information: 1 877-599-7716 and 1 877-608-4027

Current Size: 47,341 acres Containment: 41%

Personnel- 446, Engines- 16, Helicopters- 5, Crews- 8, Dozers- 5, Water tenders- 13

Start Date: September 6, 2012 Cause: Human, under investigation

Location: On the east side of Highway 95 near Lucile, ID

Current Status: Yesterday, moderate surface fire with occasional single and group tree torching was observed. Repair crews worked on the Slate Creek road, and woody material was hauled away. In the Dairy Ridge and FR 221 areas, trees and slash from the clearing operations were hauled away. Chipping crews disposed of slash along FR 243. Along Allison Creek, mop up to a depth of 100 feet was accomplished. The remainder of the east side was in monitoring status, and suppression repair was ongoing in numerous locations. Helicopters made several bucket drops yesterday to slow the fire spread.

Planned Actions: Today, crews will patrol indirect line and monitor fire behavior in the vicinity of Chair Point Lookout. Portions of FR 263 will be reopened with dozers, and firefighters will patrol and mop up along FR 263 to West Fork of Allison Creek. The north side of the fire, west of Patrol Point, will be patrolled, and all spots will be mopped up. Tree and slash removal will continue along roads and dozer lines from Skookumchuck Work Center to cold Springs Saddle and south to Old Adams Ranger Station. The repair group will continue work on the west side, while the east side of the fire remains in monitoring status. Helicopters will be used to drop water where necessary.

Private landowners who have suffered damage from the Sheep Fire may contact the Natural Resources Conservation Service at (208)983-1046 ext. 109. The NRCS may be able to provide some services for you. Also, the Idaho Department of Lands can provide reforestation technical assistance (208-924-5571). Businesses impacted by wildfires may contact the SBA (Small Business Administration) to apply for Economic Injury Disaster loans at (800)659-2955, or www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance.

Closures:

Forest Service- The restricted area begins at the Forest Boundary of CR/FR 243, then east along FR 243 to the junction of FR 221 at Four Corners, from the junction of FR 221 and FR 243 south to Rocky Bluff Campground, from the Rocky Bluff Campground south along the Wilderness Boundary to the Salmon River at Carey Creek, from Carey Creek west along the Salmon River and CR 1614 to the Forest Boundary near Island Bar, and then north along the Forest Boundary to CR/FR 243.

Weather: Today's winds will be from the west at 10 mph. The lowest relative humidity will be about 25%, and the predicted high temperature about 73 degrees. As a high pressure system moves in, fire will be more active, and more smoke will be visible today than in the previous few days.

Additional fire information can be found at: http://www.inciweb.org/incident/3240/