Incident: Garceau
Released: 8/2/2007
| Garceau Fire Fact Sheet
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Thursday, August 2, 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: The Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Polson Rural Fire Department, Ronan Rural Fire Department, Lake County OES, Sanders County, USDA 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: 3,045 acres Containment: 90%
Yesterday's Activities: All direct fireline was completed along the northwestern flank. Sixty percent of the dozer line rehabilitation work has been finished. Firefighting equipment provided water, supporting mop-up operations on the ground. The "spike" camp near the fire area was dismantled. Demobilization of excess resources has begun. The number of personnel currently assigned to the Garceau Fire is 351. This number will decrease considerably over the next couple of days.
Resources on Fire: The number of firefighters assigned to the incident totals 351. One helicopter, ten 20-person crews, 16 engines, four dozers and ten water tenders are assigned to the fire.
Today's Strategy: A Palm IR (infrared) will be utilized to locate residual hot spots. Crews are engaged in heavy mop-up operations, extending 200-300 feet into the black from the fire edge. Rehabilitation efforts will progress, as crews work to pull back the berms on dozer lines along the inactive portions of the fire. Transition to the local Type 3 organization will begin today; personnel will "shadow" the current organization.
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. Please continue to use caution when traveling on Buffalo Bridge Road; use vehicle headlights and avoid areas used by firefighting personnel. The public is also asked to use care at the intersection of US Highway 93 and the fairgrounds entrance road when traveling north of Polson Bridge.
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. A two-hour patrol is required after cessation of such operations.
For further fire information, visit www.inciweb.org/incident/882/
