Morning News on Fool Creek
Incident: Fool Creek Wildland Fire Used for Resource Benefit
Released: 7/18/2007
Contact: Punky Moore Phone: 406-466-3560 or 406-466-2524
Mike Munoz Phone: 406-466-5341 (Rocky Mtn RD Office)
Current size: Approximately 6,214 acres (5,706 acres on the Lewis & Clark NF - 508 acres on the Flathead NF)Management and Status: The Fool Creek Fire is situated in the Upper North Fork Sun River near Sun River Pass burning on the Lewis & Clark and Flathead National Forests. On Tuesday, fire managers coordinated with the Teton County Sheriff's Office on protocols to implement a public protection plan if the fire exits the wilderness boundary and heads toward the West Fork area. An area closure is effect today, July 18, that encompasses the area between the Fool Creek Fire and the Ahorn Fire near Benchmark. This closure addresses the District's commitment to public safety by making sure the public does not enter an unsafe area.
The Fool Creek Fire has reached predetermined areas that call for additional management actions to be taken at Gooseberry Cabin and Sabido Cabin. Today these activities will include starting pumps and sprinklers at the Gooseberry Cabin and initiating shelter protection at the Sabido Cabin as well as continuing to run pumps at Wrong Creek Cabin.
The management of this long term event requires close coordination between the Incident Management Team, Lewis & Clark National Forest, Flathead National Forest, Teton County Sheriff's Office, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Montana Department of Environmental Quality and Teton County Rural Volunteer Department.
Personnel/Resources on the Fire: Resources assigned to the fire include 42 people, three helicopters and five engines. The helicopters are used to support the incident by transporting equipment, carrying fire behavior specialists to assess fire activity and dropping water on hot spots when necessary. Fire managers on the Fool Creek Fire are coordinating with Ahorn Fire personnel to identify operational priorities and share resources when possible.
Activity: Tuesday, fire activity moderated when cloudy conditions prevailed. The fire grew about 300 acres and moved primarily to the northwest on the Flathead National Forest in the Basin Creek drainage. The extended forecast is for hot and dry conditions.
At times, smoke will be present in communities from Augusta to Dupuyer; however, smoke generally clears mid-day and to date has not reached unhealthy levels at Choteau. A Forest Service air quality monitoring station is located outside of Choteau to measure air quality. For air quality information, go to http://www.satguard.com/usfs, link to Real Time Data and Unit 90.
Special Concerns: A great safety concern is abundant snags in areas that have already burned and extreme burning conditions exhibited on fires across the region. The extended weather forecast indicates hot dry conditions and gusty winds with thunderstorms will continue. New ignitions from lightning will continue within the area.
Restrictions & Closures: Area closures are pending. The need for future closures will continue to be evaluated. There is a temporary flight restriction (TFR) in place in a 10 mile radius around the fire. For closure information and maps, refer to theFlathead National Forest website (http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/flathead) or contact the Rocky Mountain Ranger District Office (406) 466-5341 or the Spotted Bear Ranger District Office (406) 758-5376.
