Daily Update for Sawmill Complex, 8-15-2007
Incident: Sawmill Complex Wildland Fire
Released: 8/15/2007
Sawmill Complex
DATE: August 15, 2007
TIME: 8:00 am
INCIDENT COMMANDER: Glen McNitt
LEAD INFORMATION OFFICER: Pat Cross
PHONE: (406) 859-6003 6:00 am-10:00 pm
LOCATION: Rock Creek Drainage, 22 miles SE of Missoula, MT
JURISDICTION: Lolo National Forest, Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest
AGENCIES: Clinton RFD, Lolo National Forest, Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, MT-DNRC, Missoula County, Granite County, Montana Dept of Military Affairs, NOAA, Anaconda Job Corps, Georgetown VFD, Philipsburg VFD
RESOURCES:
PERSONNEL: 485 ENGINES: 42 WATER TENDERS: 14 HELICOPTERS: 6
TOTAL ACREAGE FOR COMPLEX: 31,380 INJURIES TO DATE: 4 COST TO DATE: $6,300,000
Wyman 2 fire, 23,260 acres: The fire burned more intensely yesterday with warmer and drier air. It was active on all flanks.Work on the fuel reduction line along Stony Creek continued with the removal of woody debris. Keeping the fire inside of this line is a priority. Crews are positioned along Rock Creek and Stony Creek to contain the flanks. The fire was active in the northeast in Big Spring Creek drainage and moving north along Rock Creek. A burnout operation was conducted along a line about a 1/3 of a mile from Big Spring Creek toward Eagle Creek. Fire traffic on Rock Cr Road continues to be heavy. Please be careful. A community meeting is planned for Wednesday at 7:30 pm at the Clark Ranch.
Sawmill fire, 4,334 acres: Fire activity increased yesterday as the fire crossed Sawmill Creek to the north. A mandatory evacuation of approximately 80 residences went into effect at 8:00 am this morning for residents on Brewster Creek and Rock Creek from Brewster Creek to Babcock Creek (approximately mile post 6 to 9). The fire continues to back down toward Rock Creek as helicopter buckets continue to drop water to slow its spread. There is a hardened containment line from Welcome Cr to Sawmill Cr. Crews are positioned along Rock Creek between Brewster Creek and Babcock Creek to begin burnout operations where needed as the fire moves downslope toward Rock Creek. Controlled access points will remain in place for all except residents of the area. A community meeting is planned for Wednesday at 4:00 pm at the Elkhorn Ranch Lodge.
Fisher Point fire, 3,786 acres: The southeast part of the Fisher Point fire reached Ranch Creek on Tuesday. The north flank also saw increased fire activity. The west side is holding. Helicopter water bucket drops will once again be used to slow the fire progression if needed. Assessments of conditions around structures in Willow Creek are underway and actions will be taken to reduce fire risk. Plans will be implemented to put structure protection in place if warranted.
ROAD, TRAIL, & RIVER CLOSURES: Rock Creek Rd. beginning at the intersection of I-90, south to the intersection with state road 348 is closed to the public. Only residents and area landowners are allowed access beyond the control points. Stony Creek Rd. is also closed. The closure is being enforced to all but local residents and firefighting traffic. The Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest has closed portions of the Goose Gulch Rd. #4325, Otter Creek Rd. #8419, Miners Gulch Rd. #5156, and Upper Willow Creek Rd. #88. These roads are closed to all motorized vehicles, foot, bicycle, and horse activities for public safety due to fire activity.
The Montana National Guard is assisting with roadblocks and security efforts. The Skalkaho Road is not affected by these closures. The Willow Creek road is open to residents, but access is being controlled for informational purposes in case of rapid fire expansion in that drainage. Recreational activity is being discouraged due to current and potential fire activity.
Trail #313 (Sapphire Divide) from the Skalkaho road to Sawmill Saddle has been closed.
Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks has closed a portion of Rock Creek to fishing. It is closed from the Skalkaho Hwy bridge downstream to the Windlass Bridge. This closure is not due to fire activity.
WEATHER: The upper ridge will intensify over the district the next few days allowing moisture to creep northward each day. Smoke from Idaho fires will be over the area during the morning and early afternoon when the inversion is expected to lift.
Weather is expected to be mostly sunny with smoke and the high near the mid- to upper-80s. Widespread smoke will remain, with winds at 4-8 mph in the valleys and 5-10 mph on the ridge tops. Humidity will be in the 10%-17% range. The chance for thunderstorms, with little moisture, will increase slightly Wednesday and more so Thursday afternoon with an increasing chance of moisture associated with the storms.
Avoid breathing smoke. If you are healthy, you are usually not at risk from limited amounts of smoke exposure, but extended amounts of smoke exposure can even affect healthy people.
Additional national fire information can be found at http://www.inciweb.org/ or the Lolo National Forest Website at http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/lolo/
