Tuesday, July 31, 2007 News Release
Incident: Pattengail Creek Wildland Fire
Released: 7/31/2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Susan Zornek-Stevens, Information Officer
Date: Tuesday, July 31, 2007 Phone: 406-832-3178 (Wise River District)
Fire Start: July 13, 2007 Cause: Lightning
Total Acres: 4,295 acres Containment: 16%
Location: 11 miles southwest of Wise River, in the west Pioneer Mountains, about 40 miles southwest of Butte, MT
Despite Red Flag Warnings for today, the fire has not shown any significant fire activity. Aerial Recon reported existing hot spots near the fire area continue to be active. Helicopters put water on them today to slow fire spread. Two people will be on the ground, near the fire area, to observe and report fire activity for the next 2 days.
Dry, heavy fuels receptive to spot fires combined with the steep south facing slopes in the Shaw Creek drainage create an environment for the fire to grow in this area. The terrain to the north and northeast is flatter with some marshy areas in Effie and Lost Horse Drainages. Natural wind currents out of a predominantly southwesterly direction minimize the spread of fire to the south at this time.
Fire Crews continue to assess structures which could be threatened by the fire. Long range plans are being made should evacuations become necessary.
Weather: With the passage of a cold front Monday Evening, the atmosphere has become moist, and unstable enough for a few possible thunderstorms. A dryer westerly flow of air will prevail on Tuesday. This will translate into another round of afternoon winds. The atmosphere should remain dry on Wednesday.
Public Meeting: The Public Meeting scheduled for Wednesday Aug 1st at 7:30 PM in the Wise River Community Hall will focus on available funding to local residents whose homes and structures might be threatened by the fire. Grants for tree and brush removal, and possible manpower to do the removal will be the key topics.
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 would be requested. 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.
