Fact Sheet for July 28, 2007
Incident: Garceau Wildland Fire
Released: 7/28/2007
Garceau Fire
Fact Sheet
Saturday, July 28, 2007 9:00 a.m.
Contact: Public Information Officers Terina Mullen and Jill Cobb
Message Phone: (406) 883-2403
What: Wildland fire, lightning caused
Started: July 24, 2007 at 11:13 a.m.
Location: Eleven miles southwest of Polson, Montana
Jurisdiction: Flathead Agency
Cooperating Agencies: Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes, Polson Rural Fire Department, Ronan Rural Fire Department, Lake County OES, United States Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Idaho Department of Lands, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.
Incident Commander & Team: A Northern Rockies Type II Incident Management Team (IMT), under Incident Commander Roger Kechter, assumed command as of 6:00 a.m. on July 26, 2007.
Current size: 2,800 acres Containment: 40%
Yesterday's Activities: Firefighters made significant progress in the southern and eastern portions of the fire. Work remained challenging on the northern flank where the terrain is steep, rocky, and heavily forested. Despite the difficult conditions, crews successfully completed approximately half of the line needed to secure that portion of the fire. In the early morning hours, crews found three areas where the fire had spotted over the fireline the previous day. The three spots were small and the crews quickly contained them. On the remaining portions of the fire, crews held containment lines previously constructed by dozers. Crews continued with mop-up operations approximately 200 to 300 feet into the black. Precautionary structure protection measures remain in place for homes in the immediate fire area. Overall, fire behavior was relatively mild for the majority of the day.
Resources on Fire: The number of firefighters assigned to the incident totals 258. Eight 20-person crews, 14 engines, 6 dozers and 5 water tenders are assigned to the fire.
Today's Strategy: Firefighters will continue to construct direct fireline on the northern flank to prevent further spread of the fire. Once the containment line is complete and the weather is favorable, crews may conduct burnout operations to enhance the effectiveness of the line. Securing the northern section of the fire is the highest priority due to valuable cultural resources and high valued timber. By creating a wider area of black, the likelihood of the fire bumping containment lines is reduced. Personnel will patrol the existing firelines on the remainder of the perimeter, mopping up hot spots. Firefighting forces will preserve and protect cultural sites in the fire area.
Special Messages: Firefighter and public safety is always the #1 priority on any fire incident. We ask the public to be careful and assist in preventing any new fire starts. The public is also asked to use caution when traveling on Buffalo Bridge Road; use vehicle headlights and avoid areas used by firefighting personnel.
Prevention Messages: Stage II Fire Restrictions are in place. Campfires and open flames are prohibited. Smoking is restricted to vehicles, buildings and areas void of vegetation. Industrial operations are permitted during the hours between 1:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. only.
For further fire information, visit: www.inciweb.org
