Sawmill Complex Daily Update
Incident: Sawmill Complex Wildland Fire
Released: 8/1/2007
Sawmill Complex Fires Active Alove Rock Creek
Missoula, MT. - Yesterday the Fisher Point Fire grew from 250 to 1300 acres, the Sawmill Creek Fire grew from 320 to 760 acres, and the Wyman 2 fire was too smoky to get an accurate estimate. It is still listed at 2000 + acres, so the total Sawmill Complex is currently estimated to be 4060 acres, up from 2570 acres yesterday.
The threatened structures along Rock Creek are not facing imminent danger and winds are predicted to be light and to the NE today, which should keep the blazes from spreading towards Rock Creek. Fire crews are focused on "point protection" to keep the structures from burning while freeing up as many resources as possible for higher priority fires like the Mile Marker 124 Fire, managed by the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.
Tomorrow's weather is forecasted to contain stronger and more erratic winds, so fire managers are on the alert for more active fire behavior tomorrow afternoon. The Incident Management Team overseeing the Sawmill Complex is having trouble setting up communication infrastructure due to their remote location and has no phone or internet access, so updates are slow and difficult to receive.
