News Release 08/18/07 8:00am MT
Incident: Skyland Wildland Fire
Released: 8/18/2007
- Saturday, Aug. 18, 2007 · 8 a.m. -
Quick Fire Facts
Location
32 miles ESE of Kalispell, MT
Approximate Size
41,857 acres
Increase since last update
809
Fire Containment
54%
Start Date
July 23, 2007 - 4:30 pm
Cause
Lightning
Incident Commander
Jeff Pendleton, PNW Team 3
Resources on the Fire
11 crews
6 helicopters
1 dozer
6 water tenders
13 engines
Total Personnel
553
Est. Containment Date
unknown
Cooperating Agencies
USFS
NPS
BIA
Blackfeet Tribe
Montana DNRC
Landowners
USFS
Blackfeet Tribe
Private
Yesterday's Activities:
The evacuation status was reduced to Level 1 (notification) for all areas of this fire. The fire pushed southeast, across
the containment line, due to erratic winds and lower humidities. The affected area involved about 160 acres one mile
northeast of Badger Guard Station. Hand crews continued to
strengthen the firelines on the western, northern, and eastern
perimeters.
Weather and Fire Behavior Forecast for Today:
A Red Flag warning has been issued for today. Light southwest
winds in the morning will give way to stronger gusting winds from
the south. The winds will return to a southwest direction, gusting
up to 30 mph. Relative humidity will drop to 12-18% in the
valleys, and remain at 20 to 25% above 6000 feet. Temperatures
will reach highs in the mid- 80's. Drier, windier conditions will
likely increase fire activity across the fire.
Today's Planned Actions:
Fire crews will initiate a contingency fire line from Kiyo Crag Lake
southeast toward Half Dome Crag. Work will continue on
rehabilitation efforts on the western and eastern flanks. Crews will
continue with patrol and mop-up work.
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, and short
delays when helicopters fly over the highway. 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 in effect for Little Badger, the
U.S. Hwy. 2 Corridor and Glacier Acres.
Visit www.inciweb.org and click on Skyland Fire for details, or call
the ranger districts - Hungry Horse (406) 387-3800; Rocky
Mountain (406) 466-5341.
Please see the Related Files for Closure information
related to all fires discussed in this joint fire update.
Prepared by: Information Section, PNW Incident Management Team 3 and approved by the Bob Marshall Joint Fire Information Center.
