Sunday Evening Pattengail Creek Fire Update for Ju
Incident: Pattengail Creek Wildland Fire
Released: 7/29/2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Susan Zornek-Stevens, Information Officer
Date: Monday, July 30th, 2007 Phone: 406-832-3178 (Wise River District)
Fire Start: July 13, 2007 Cause: Lightning
Total Acres: 4,295 acres
Location: 11 miles southwest of Wise River, in the west Pioneer Mountains, about 40 miles southwest of Butte, MT
The Pattengail fire showed new spot fires Sunday. Helicopters maneuvered around smoke in the afternoon as they made strategic bucket drops. Trees were torching in the northwest and east sides of the fire, as humidity declined to 17%. Fire behavior analyst Darrell Schulte quipped, "The fire waked up!" He explained that the Pattengail Creek fire's growth is "fuel-driven": in the heavy timber, the fire advances in hot dry weather, even without wind.
Crews assessing properties for potential structure protection needs continued to visit with property owners, sharing ideas to make their homes more defensible. While crews were improving access, a lodgepole sapling knocked out electricity on Alder Creek for three hours. Vigilante Electric reset a relay to restore service. Safety Officer Grant Godbolt helped the crews review situational awareness. Crews will discuss powerline hazards at Monday's morning briefing.
Monday, two helicopters will drop water throughout the day to slow the fire, which should increase further in activity as humidity continues to decrease. Smoke showed from Wise River Sunday.
Weather: A cool front passes over the fire Monday afternoon, potentially producing dry thunderstorms. The front brings steady 10-20 mph southwest afternoon winds shifting to northwest in the evening. Relative humidity will drop to 15%, with only a 10% chance of wetting rain.
Public Meeting: Wednesday, August 1st at 7:30 p.m. in the Wise River Community Hall.
The fire remains at least 1 ½ miles above management action points high in the Shaw Creek and Pettengill Creek drainages. If the fire reaches a management action point, more resources should be enroute from other fires and agencies. No structures are considered threatened at this time, and no evacuations have been ordered. Structure protection efforts are only precautionary. The fire edge remains about four miles from Jerked Prairie and structures in Grouse Creek.
Fire Restrictions and Closures: Stage 2 fire restrictions are in place on public lands in southwest Montana. For public safety, the north end of the west Pioneer Mountains has an Area Closure.
Check http://www.inciweb.org/ or www.fs.fed.us/r1/bdnf/ for more detailed information.
