Wednesday, August 29th 8:00 AM Update
Incident: Jocko Lakes Wildland Fire
Released: 8/29/2007
Wednesday, August 29, 2007 - 8 a.m. MDT Daily Update
Jocko Lakes:
- 35,070 acres
- 55% contained
- $23,391,460 costs
- 990 personnel
Ovando Point:
- 70 acres
- 100% contained
- $926,202 costs
- no personnel
WHAT'S NEW & EVENTS:
- Placid Lake water body is opening today. The Placid Lake State Park, including the campground, day-use area and public boat ramp is scheduled to open Friday, August 31st. Spook Lake and Hidden Lake remain closed.
- The West Side Bypass Road is open to the public. Morning and evening closures for Riverview Drive and South Boy Scout Road have been rescinded. Placid Lake Drive and North Boy Scout Road are open to residents and those with legitimate business interests except from 8-9:30 a.m. and 8-10 p.m. due to fire traffic.
- Check the Lolo National Forest website at www.fs.fed.us/r1/lolo for changes in area closures.
- A public meeting is scheduled for next Tuesday, September 4, 2007 at 8 p.m. at Seeley Lake Elementary School.
- A radiographic airborne mapping (RAM-or infrared) flight will assist with detection of hot spots on the west flank of the fire.
- As suppression objectives are being met, excess resources are starting to demobilize.
JOCKO LAKES FIRE STATUS: Crews and equipment had another productive day on the fireline yesterday, bringing the containment up to 55%. Line construction continued along the southern and western perimeters, with hand crews using small burnout operations to clean up the remaining vegetation between the main body of the fire and the line. Hose lays were started to support mop up operations. Crews continued to mop-up, cold trail and patrol along the southern, northern and eastern sides of the fire, while the Structure Protection group worked to remove hose and patrol sections along the eastern flank. The fixed wing air attack resource was released yesterday; remaining helicopters will assume air attack duty.
Heavy fuels and steep terrain south of Jocko Lakes on the west side of the fire are expected to challenge suppression efforts. Today, crews along the western edge will continue to construct containment lines, lay hose and prepare for burnout operations. A helicopter will provide aerial ignition for the burnout on the SW flank and a westerly wind flow should assist crews with their efforts. The rugged terrain will require helicopter transport for crews to work in the more remote areas. The NW corner will be held in check using hand crews supported by helicopter water bucket drops. Crews and equipment continue to mop up to 300 feet inside containment lines along the south and northwest sides of the fire. Additional resources will continue to patrol the northeast and east flanks of the fire, as well as beginning rehabilitation efforts in these areas.
OVANDO FIRE STATUS: No personnel assigned today; helicopters are monitoring by air.
RESOURCE CONCERNS: Historic lookout (Double Arrow), Native American cultural sites, fish and wildlife habitat, including habitat for grizzly bears, Canada lynx and bull trout.
SAFETY CONCERNS: Downhill line construction, steep terrain, extreme condition, driving, air operations and bears.
FIRE FACTS: Started: August 3, 2007; Cause: Lightning; Location: west of Seeley Lake; Resources: 25 hand crews, 7 helicopters, 40 engines, 8 dozers, 27 water tenders, 1 camp crews, and 328 overhead.
WEATHER: Smokey in the morning, then mostly sunny. Temps 73-78° ridges and 82-86° lower valleys; Rh 16-20% valley and 14-18% ridges. Ridgetop winds W 6-10 mph and slope/valley winds 4-7 mph. A strong inversion is expected to break around 11 a.m.
COOPERATING AGENCIES & PARTNERS: Montana DNRC, The Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation, Lolo NF, Missoula County Sheriff's Office, Seeley Lake Fire Department, Missoula Rural Fire, Missoula County, Montana National Guard, Montana Dept of Transportation, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Bureau of Indian Affairs Tribal Game Wardens.
