Chippy Creek Fire Update 8/21/07 7:00 AM
Incident: Chippy Creek Wildland Fire
Released: 8/21/2007
The Chippy Creek Fire is located 20 miles north of Plains and 12 miles north/northwest of Hot Springs, Montana. Wally Bennett's Type 1 Northern Rockies Interagency Incident Management Team is fighting the fire. Total acres to date are 96,154 with thirty three percent containment.
Yesterday's Activities:
Rainfall over the fire was minimal, but overcast skies and cooler temperatures assisted firefighter's efforts. Firefighters worked to contain a 50-60 acre spot fire on the southwest corner in the vicinity of the North Fork of the Little Thompson River. In this same area, crews were unable to complete a burnout operation due to the high relative humidity. Southwest of Hubbart Reservoir, fire personnel contained a 75 acre fire that crossed the containment line by using existing roads. Crews also completed a burnout operation on the north side to strengthen the containment line. In the northeast corner of the fire, crews widened the containment line by removing vegetation. A public meeting was held in Hot Springs.
Today's Planned Activities:
If weather permits, crews will conduct a burnout operation in the southwest corner. The night shift will continue to patrol the containment line on the east and south side of the fire. Fire information is posted at the Marion Fire Department on Gopher Lane. We have put a bulletin board at McGregor Lakes Resort (Milepost 91 on Hwy. 2). As the southern edge of the fire is secured, firefighters and equipment will be moved to Marion. A camp will be set up at Marion for more efficient access to the northern edge of the fire. A public meeting will be held at the Marion Fire Department on Gopher Lane on Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. A public meeting will also be held at Hot Springs School at 7 p.m. on Wednesday evening.
Resources assigned: 9 hand crews, 37 engines, 42 pieces of heavy equipment, 15 water tenders and 5 helicopters for a total of 648 personnel.
Weather and Fire Behavior: Cooler temperatures and cloud cover should result in smoldering fire behavior with little overall fire growth expected.
Evacuations: Residents along the Hubbart Dam Road from the junction with the Niarada Road north to the Hubbart Dam subdivision remain under an evacuation order.
Temporary Flight Restrictions: The temporary flight restriction remains in place over the fire. Pilots should be aware that numerous aircraft are working this incident and many more are in the air over fires within the region.
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 . Information on protecting your property from wildfire can be found at: http://www.firewise.org/fw youcanuse/index.htm
Chippy Creek Fire information is posted on the Lolo National Forest website: www.fs.fed.us/r1/lolo. For further information on wildland fire activity see: http://www.inciweb.org/ or http://www.nifc.gov/nicc/siterprt.pdf .
Cooperating Agencies: Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Sanders, Flathead and Lake Counties, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Lolo National Forest, and Plum Creek Timberlands.
