Dugan Fire Update - September 16
Incident: Dugan Fire Wildfire
Released: 9/16/2012
September 16, 2012 Time: 8:00 a.m.
Incident Facts
Date Started: Sept 14, 2012 Location: 2 miles South of Ekalaka
Area Affected: 10,500 acres (rough estimate - fire perimeter has not yet been measured with GPS) - cause unknown at this time
Incident Command Post - located at Ekalaka Fair Grounds
Current Situation & Planned Response Activities
Local and DNRC crews along with local landowners fought the fire all night and continued working on structure protection. Yesterday the crews successfully conducted some large burn-out operations to prevent the fire from jumping the lines. The cloud cover today should assist control efforts as firefighters work to strengthen the fire lines. There are numerous snags that create problems and crews will work in those areas to make sure there are no new fire starts. Helicopters will continue assisting the ground crews to gain control and cool down the hot spots.
HISTORY OF EVENT: Fire began in the evening of September 14th. Initial attack was conducted by local Carter County fire departments and BLM with mutual aid from neighboring counties. The erratic winds caused major runs with torching and rapid fire spread. Fire fighters reported spotting up to ½ mile from the main fire. Local ranchers assisted by helping to plow fire breaks in hopes of preventing the fire from spreading into the surrounding private grazing land. On Saturday, September 15th the DNRC County Assist Team (CAT) was called in by the Forest Service and BLM to assist and support local forces. CAT assumed command at 6:00 a.m. on September 16th. Incident Fire Camp was established at the Ekalaka Fair grounds to provide support for the fire fighters and local emergency response personnel.
Messages for the Public
Vehicle traffic on the roads near the fire perimeter is a major safety concern and interferes with the firefighting activity. The resulting dust from the increased traffic creates problems with visibility. The Sheriff's office is requesting that only landowners from that area travel those roads. Deputies will be patrolling.
AREA CLOSURE: Forest Service has implemented an area closure that includes all National Forest System lands from the Chalk Buttes Highway on the west and north side to the Pershing Cuttoff Road on the south side and on the east side to Highway 323. This area closure does not include private land or land managed by other agencies.
For additional information contact: Fire Information - 868-1487
