Winds Blow on Fool Creek Fire
Incident: Fool Creek Wildland Fire Used for Resource Benefit
Released: 8/12/2007
Choteau, Mont., Aug. 12, 8 p.m.--Southwest winds gusting to 30-32 miles per hour, temperatures in the mid 80s, and relative humidity as low as nine percent hit the Fool Creek fire Sunday.
Fire officials said the Fool Creek fire seemed to respond well to recent efforts to check its spread in the Porcupine Creek and West Fork of the Teton River areas.
The fire seems to have gotten most active at Mt. May, on the fire's west side. Fire was seen in the Bowl Creek area and between there and Basin Creek, also on the west side of the Fool Creek fire.
The fire also got active Sunday in the Crazy Creek area on the northeast corner.
But the highest priority areas in Nesbit, Olney and Porcupine creeks and the West Fork didn't seem to flare up as much they might have. Preventing spread in these areas is important for keeping the fire inside the national forest.
Smoke from central Idaho and western Montana blanketed the Fool Creek fire late Sunday afternoon. Smoke kept temperatures at Fool Creek from rising further and actually increased relative humidity a bit.
Helicopters at Fool Creek landed Sunday afternoon when the winds got too turbulent for safe flying. Until the winds abate and smoke clears it will be hard to get a good estimate of the extent of Sunday's burn. But officials will fly over the fire as soon as it's feasible.
A fire management team led by Incident Commander Chuck Stanich will arrive Monday and take over the Ahorn and Fool Creek fires on Wednesday.
Monday will offer similar weather to Sunday except with lighter winds forecast. The ridge of high pressure over the area is predicted to last through Wednesday. Winds aloft will decrease to west at 6-12 mph with gusts to 20 mph.
On Monday, firefighters will continue running pumps at Sabido, Wrong Creek, and Massey Tract cabins. Helicopters will continue making water drops in critical areas.
Special Notices, Alerts & Restrictions: The Sun River, Ear Mountain and Blackleaf state wildlife management areas are closed. All of the Rocky Mountain Ranger District is closed except for the southeastern part of the Scapegoat Wilderness. Other adjacent areas of the Flathead National Forest are closed. The land managed by the BLM adjacent to the national forest boundary including the Blind Horse Outstanding Natural Area is closed.
Stage II fire restrictions are in effect on the Rocky Mountain Ranger District outside of the wilderness. Stage I restrictions remain in effect within the wilderness.
