Chippy Creek Fire Update 8/22/07 7:00 AM
Incident: Chippy Creek Wildland Fire
Released: 8/22/2007
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. The fire is reported to be at 96,154 acres, with thirty three percent containment.
There are two public meeting scheduled today: one in Marion at the fire hall on Gopher Lane and the other at Hot Springs High School. Times are scheduled at 7pm at both sites. A tour of fire camp in Plains is scheduled from 4 to 7pm tomorrow.
Yesterday's Activities:
Despite waking up to some light rain at fire camp and Plains, the fire itself did not receive any measurable rain. However, low temperatures with a high humidity did provide fire crews an opportunity to build direct line on a number of divisions along the fire perimeter. Two structures were confirmed as lost to the incident as a result from the fire blow-out Sunday evening, on August 12. One structure was an uninhabitable residence located on tribal land and one was a U.S. Geological Survey hydrological gauging station. Efforts will continue to establishing a spike camp at Marion. Infra-red flights over the fire will be temporarily discontinued until the weather changes and or possible spots are detectable. Fire acreage will remain the same in this update until a GPS flight can be flown at a later date. Therefore, additions to acreage are expected. A two twenty person Canadian crew, from Manitoba, has been assigned to the Chippy Creek fire for a two week assignment.
Today's Planned Activities:
Securing good anchors in the northwest and southwest corners of the fire perimeter is still a priority. Crews will conduct burnout operations when conditions are favorable and safe to proceed.
Resources assigned: 11 hand crews, 34 engines, 36 pieces of heavy equipment, 15 water tenders and 5 helicopters for a total of 661 personnel.
Weather and Fire Behavior: Cold in the morning with patchy valley and slope fog. Temperatures will be 68 to 72 during the day, with humidity at 30 to 35 percent. The fire will not burn as hot today therefore; opportunities for direct attack will be favorable. Periods of sunshine today will limit fire activity to south and west aspects.
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.
Other information sources: Protecting your property from wildfire 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 other 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.
