Fire Update Sept. 20
Incident: Fool Creek Wildland Fire Used for Re
Released: 9/20/2007
Quick Fire Facts
Fire Location
30 mi. west of Choteau
Incident Command Post Location (ICP)
Stage Stop Inn in Choteau
Approximate Size
60,038 acres/ approximately 93+ square miles
Increase since last update
0
Fire Containment
40%
Start Date
Detected July 4
Cause
Lightning in late June
Type III IMT
Incident Commander
James Grasham
Resources on the Fire
3 engines, 1 helicopter assigned to both Ahorn and Fool Creek Fires
Total Personnel
30
Est. Containment Date
Unknown
Cooperating Agencies
Teton County Sheriff, MT National Guard, BLM, MT DNRC, MT DEQ, MT Dept of Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Teton Rural VFD, Lewis and Clark County, Pondera County, DoD
Landowners
Lewis and Clark National Forest (31,272 acres), Flathead National Forest (28,766 acres)
Yesterday's Activities: Cooler weather and wetting rains and snow kept the fire activity low. Gates Park reported .48 inch of rain. Fire behavior was generally smoldering and creeping. Engine crews patrolled for smokes in the Jones Creek, Teton Road, and Massey Tract areas. Identified rehabilitation work continued along the Teton Road. The Wrong Creek Cabin remains protected with a sprinkler system.
Weather and Fire Behavior forecast: A moist and unsettled flow will continue under partly cloudy skies with expected showers or snow above 6000 feet. Temperatures will be in the 50's and humidity will remain near 40%. With the cooler temperature and moisture, fire activity is expected to be low.
Today's Planned Actions: A lookout will continue monitoring fire activity in Nesbitt and Wrong Creek. A Wilderness patrol remains at Gates Park. Crews will continue conducting hazard tree assessment and mitigation along the Teton Creek Road. Crews will continue to grid for hotspots in the West Fork area. The backhaul of excess equipment will continue as fire activity decreases.
Area Closure: The Lewis and Clark National Forest, the Bureau of Land Management, and Region 4 of Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks have opened a number of areas previously closed due to the Ahorn, Fool Creek, and Skyland Fires.
Special Driving Safety Warning: Firefighters are experiencing excessive speeds by some motorists on the open access roads near the fire. Travelers using these forest roads should drive with extreme caution as emergency vehicles are still using these roads.
Stage I Fire restrictions have been rescinded on public lands within and immediately adjacent to the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex in north-central Montana. These public lands include the Flathead, Lewis and Clark, and portions of the Helena, and Lolo National Forests, and the lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management and the State of Montana in Teton and Lewis and Clark Counties along the Rocky Mountain Front. Normal fire restrictions will resume until end of season. For further information, contact one the above phone numbers.
