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Up to one-half inch of rain fell over much of the fire area Monday and, as a result, there was little fire activity yesterday. More thunderstorms and rain are possible late this afternoon. Fire managers say there are still areas of heat across the fire footprint and that yesterday’s rain has not extinguished all of those. A plane with an infrared camera that tracks the fire’s growth was unable to fly last night so the acreage has not been updated today.

The stormy weather can pose a threat to firefighters, both from lightning and the possibility of flash flooding. “The rain can slow our progress,” said Incident Commander Jeremy Kiesling, “because we have to bring firefighters off the line for safety reasons.” Kiesling added that while fire growth has been slow, there is still a lot of rugged ground for firefighters to work across to complete containment. Firefighters are working around the entire perimeter to ensure the edge is secure and to prevent further new growth. Some firefighters are being flown in by helicopter to the more remote areas on the northern and eastern ends of the perimeter.

An incident meteorologist is now assigned to the fire and she says the best chance for more rain will be late this afternoon but there is a chance for scattered showers and lightning throughout the week.