Incident: Jocko Lakes
Released: 9/16/2007
More than 180 Seeley Lake citizens traveled through the Jocko Lakes fire by four school buses Sunday afternoon, taking new lessons while reliving their experiences of the 36,310 acre fire.
The heads of the four local agencies cooperating on the fire, and a Missoula County Deputy Sheriff, shared their perspectives. At three stops, they spoke about the fire's history, suppression, ecology, and lessons for homeowners.
Tony Harwood, Fire Management Officer of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, shared how interagency efforts responded to the Jocko Lakes fire. Bill Parcell, Missoula County Deputy Sheriff, discussed evacuation strategies. Tim Love, Seeley Lake District Ranger, described fire's varied effects within the ecosystem, and how changes in fire behavior have unique effects for all the fire-dependent landscapes of the area.
Steve Wallace, Clearwater Unit Manager of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, and Frank Maradeo, Seeley Lake Fire Chief, focused on homeowners' responses to the fire, and on successful ways to create defensible space for property.
The administrators answered scores of questions and discussed impending issues from the fire, such as rehabilitation goals and techniques, timber and mushroom harvest, and community protection goals for the inevitable next large wildland fire.
The enthusiastic crowd contained children and 80-year-olds, lifelong Seeley Lake residents and seasonal homeowners. The Seeley Lake Community Foundation hosts the next fire event, a get-together they've optimistically titled a "Fire's Out Celebration," Sunday, September 23rd at the Elementary School from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m..
A momentary shower greeted tourgoers, and it wasn't just the showy water drop from a helicopter arcing overhead Upper Jocko Lake. Instead, afternoon sprinkles foretold cool and showery weather through Tuesday. Possible lightning Sunday night will lapse into showers Monday, with a second cold front expected Tuesday. Highs temperatures stay below 70 degrees until Thursday.
In operations on the Jocko Lakes fire Sunday, two medium helicopters cycled continuously through early afternoon, cooling areas north and south of Jocko Lakes, as crews on the ground advanced their firelines there. Rehabilitation efforts again removed more miles of the fireline on the southeast and northeast sides of the fire.
185 people are working on the incident, including 2 crews, 2 helicopters, 11 engines, and 17 dozers or excavators.
