Incident: Chippy Creek
Released: 9/9/2007
THIS WILL BE THE LAST DAILY UPDATE FOR THE CHIPPY CREEK FIRE
The Chippy Creek Fire is located 20 miles north of Plains and 12 miles north/northwest of Hot Springs, Montana. Jess Secrest's Type 2 Northern Rockies Incident Management Team is fighting the fire.
On Monday, September 10, 2007, the ICP/Base Camp at Marion will be dismantled and the management of the fire will be transferred to two Type 3 incident management teams. One team will operate from the Montana DNRC Office in Plains, and the other team will operate from an incident command post set up at the Fire Department facility in Marion.
Yesterday's Activities: The majority of the fireline perimeter was in a patrol status. Mop up continued in the Alder Creek area, on southern edge of the fire. Rehabilitation work is close to completion in the west and south edges of the fire. Remaining rehabilitation work includes removal of logging decks and reworking roads when moisture is present.
Today's Planned Activities: Rehabilitation work on the firelines will continue. The majority of the fireline perimeter will be in a patrol status. Mop up is ongoing in the Alder Creek area. Aerial resources remain ready to assist ground personnel where needed. Transfer of command from Jess Secrest's Type 2 Northern Rockies Incident Management Team to the Type 3 teams will occur tomorrow morning at 7:00 AM.
Resources Assigned: 2 hand crews (20 people each), 16 engines, 2 dozers, 11 water tenders, and 1 helicopter for a total of 324 personnel.
Weather Forecast and Fire Behavior: Partly sunny and breezy with a slight chance of a shower. Temperatures on ridge tops will be 55 to 62 degrees and humidity 35 to 40 percent. Ridge top winds will be northeast 10 to 20 mph, gusts to 25 mph. Smoke will continue to be produced from fires smoldering and creeping in dry, unburned fuels within the fire's perimeter.
Closures: Although previously evacuated residents along the Hubbart Dam Road have been allowed to return home, roads north of the fire and south of Hwy. 2 remain closed to the general public due to fire traffic. Closures will be re-assessed in the near future. The road closure order for National Forest System lands, within the fire area, remains in effect and includes, in part, the following roads: Bold Peak #5583, Big Rock Bassoo #5574, Big Rock Creek #881, Chippy Creek #882, Bear Creek #883, and Little Thompson River #519. The area closure is adjusted on the southern end of the fire, effective September 6, 2007. Corona Road, NFSR #1025, is open. For more details, visit the Lolo National Forest website at www.fs.fed.us/r1/lolo or call the Plains/Thompson Falls Ranger District office at 406-826-3821.
Other Information Sources: Chippy Creek Fire information is posted on the Lolo National Forest website: www.fs.fed.us/r1/lolo, and on: http://www.inciweb.org/. On Monday, September 10th, the Chippy Creek Fire Information phone number at 406-854-2187 will no longer be in service. Please use the following phone numbers for fire information: For information related to National Forest System Lands, call the Plains/Thompson Falls Ranger District office at 406-826-3821. For information related to PRIVATE or STATE LANDS, call the Plains Field Office for Montana Department of Resources and Conservation at 406-826-3851.
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.
