News Release 08/10/07 8:00am MT
Incident: Skyland Wildland Fire
Released: 8/10/2007
- Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2007 · 8 a.m. -
Pacific Northwest National Incident Management Team 3 (PNW Team 3) assumed management of the Skyland Fire at 6 p.m. Wednesday, August 8, 2007.
Quick Fire Facts
Location
32 miles ESE of Kalispell, MT
Approximate Size
38,035 acres
Increase since last update
25
Fire Containment
37%
Start Date
July 23, 2007 - 4:30 pm
Cause
Lightning
Incident Commander
Jeff Pendleton, PNW Team 3
Resources on the Fire
25 crews
6 helicopters
8 dozers
18 water tenders
48 engines
Total Personnel
1,031
Est. Containment Date
unknown
Cooperating Agencies
USFS
NPS
BIA
Blackfeet Tribe
Montana DNRC
Landowners
USFS
BlackfeetTribe
Private
Restrictions
Please See Below
Yesterday's Activities:
Firefighters used fireline explosives along 6,000 feet of line on the north side of the fire, south of U.S. Hwy. 2, to create new fireline
on steep, heavily wooded slopes Thursday. They also improved line in the head of the Two Medicine River drainage and scouted
fireline on the southern side of the fire.
Weather and Fire Behavior Forecast for Today:
A Red Flag warning is in effect from noon to 9 p.m. Friday as west, southwest winds of 20 to 25 mph are expected with gusts to
35 mph. A tenth of an inch of rain wetted the fire overnight, which will slow fire activity this afternoon. Temperatures are expected to
be a little lower today with 70o F to 75 o F below 6,000 feet and 64 o F to 69o F above 6,000 feet. Lower humidities and higher temperatures will result in more active fire behavior.
Today's Planned Actions:
More fireline explosives will be used to build fireline on the north side of the fire. Direct and indirect line will continue to be built on
the southeast corner of the fire south of Cooper Lake. Firefighters will continue scouting fireline from Cooper Lake to Badger Guard
Station.
Special Notices, Alerts, Restrictions & Evacuation Levels:
All entrances to Glacier National Park are open. U.S. Hwy. 2 remains open with a speed restriction in the fire area. Visit
www.nps.gov/glac for more information. For fire restrictions, visit www.mt.blm.gov/fire/restrictions. Much of the Rocky Mountain Ranger District is closed to public use. There are closures in the Hungry Horse Ranger District as well. Evacuation Level 1 (notification) is still in effect for East Glacier, and Evacuation Level 2 (preparation) is in effect for the areas south and west of U.S. Hwy. 2 and BIA 2.
Please call the Ranger Districts for more details - Hungry Horse (406) 387-3800; Rocky Mountain (406) 466-5341.
Prepared by: Information Section, PNW Incident Management Team 3
