Gunbarrel Fire Update 08/15/08
Incident: Gunbarrel Wildland Fire
Released: 8/15/2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Gunbarrel Fire
Friday, August 15, 2008, 9:00 a.m.
Contact: Laura McConnell, Public Information Officer
Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team A
NEW PHONE: 1-866-588-5206
Websites: http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/shoshone/
http://www.inciweb.org/incident/1439
Incident Email: gunbarrelfire@gmail.com
Yesterday fire activity remained minimal under the shield of heavy clouds. The east flank of the fire received traces of precipitation while hotshot crews on the west end dug line to check the fires' backing movements towards the highway. Such management actions are a small portion of the Wildland Fire Implementation Plan to protect the values at risk in the North Fork Corridor.
As this weather pattern continues to bring cooler wetter weather to the fire area firefighters and incident managers will take advantage of decreased fire behavior to further assess plans and preparations. As Russ Wenke, Park County Fire Warden, stated at the community meeting on Wednesday, "I feel better about the protective measures that have been done on your cabins, homes and lodges than I ever have before."
In addition, Choice Aviation of Cody Wyoming will be presenting an $8,000.00 donation at morning briefing for the benefit of the Wildland Firefighter Foundation. This donation along with money raised by the personnel of the Gunbarrel fire and other firefighters across the nation is a show of bereavement and support for the firefighters and the pilot that lost their lives when a helicopter in California crashed last week.
Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team - A under Don Angell's leadership has begun to prepare for the arrival of the next Type Two Management Team. The transition, scheduled to occur this weekend comes after two weeks of duties undertaken by Angell's team, the usual tour of duty for most firefighting resources.
Gunbarrel Fire Statistics at a Glance:
- Time/Date Started: July 26, 2008
- Location: 40 miles west of Cody, WY north of Hwy 14-16-20.
- Cause: Lightning
- Estimated Cost: $4,570,000
- Fuels: Heavy dead and down timber with 50-80% beetle killed trees in spruce/fir.
- Size: 41,328 acres.
- Resources Committed:
- 1 twenty-person hot shot crew, 1 type two crew, 1 medium helicopter, 1 light helicopter,
- 6 engines, 2 water tenders and approximately 147 personnel.
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