Chippy Creek Fire Update 8/15/07 7:00 AM
Incident: Chippy Creek Wildland Fire
Released: 8/15/2007
Update: August 15, 7:00 am Fire Information: Dixie Dies (406) 826-9009
Incident Commander: Wally Bennett Start Date: 7/31/07
Cost to Date: $5,917,000 Cause: Under Investigation
Containment: 30% Acres: 77, 500 Acres
The Chippy Creek Fire is located 20 miles north of Plains and 12 miles north/northwest of Hot Springs, Montana and is being managed by Wally Bennett's Type 1, Northern Rockies Interagency Incident Management Team.
Yesterday's Activities: The firelines in the northwest and southwest corners of the fire were strengthened in preparation for burnout tomorrow. Crews worked around residences in the Hubbart area to finish containment of the August 11th burnout.
Today's Planned Activities: Crews plan to continue to anchor and hold the northwest and southwest corners of the fire as well as the north and south flanks. Crews will prepare and blast new control line along the north flank. Dozer line and hand line will continue to be built both direct and indirect along the north flank. Work will continue on the burnout operation west of Hubbard Reservoir Road.
Weather and Fire Behavior: Today's weather forecast calls for temperatures in the eighties and relative humidity in the lower teens. Winds are expected from the west three to six miles per hour with gusts to 10 miles per hour. Winds that will affect the fire will be slope and terrain driven. This should result in surface fire with limited torching. With the continued low temperatures and extremely dry fuels there will still be potential for spotting.
The Department of Environmental Quality recommends using local visibility guidelines to evaluate possible health risks and make informed activity decisions. This information is available at http://www.deq.state.mt.us/FireUpdates/index.asp
Although the wildland fires in Montana and northern Idaho have localized effects, both areas welcome visitors for a variety of adventures. See http://www.visitmt.com/fire/conditions.htm or http://www.visitidaho.org/
Further information on the Chippy Creek Fire is posted on the Lolo National Forest website. This information is available at www.fs.fed.us/r1/lolo. For further information on wildland fire activity
http://www.nifc.gov/fire info/nfn.htm
http://www.nifc.gov/nicc/siterprt.pdf
Resources assigned: 56 pieces of heavy machinery, 5 Hand Crews, 16 engines, and 4 helicopters for a total of 524 personnel.
Cooperating Agencies: Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Sanders, Flathead and Lake Counties, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Lolo National Forest.
