Actualización del Incendio Lowline

Domingo 13 de Agosto, 2023 – 9:00 a.m.

Equipo de Manejo de Incidentes Tipo 3

Bryan Gaines, Comandante del Incidente

Teléfono de Información: 970-648-4470 (público)*, 970-765-7123 (medios de comunicación)*

Horario: 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Nota Especial: *Desactivaremos los números de comunicación de Lowline Fire el lunes 14 de Agosto. En el futuro, para obtener información sobre los incendios activos en el área, por favor llame a la línea directa de información sobre incendios de Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, y Gunnison National Forest (GMUG): (970) 874-6602. Si tiene otras preguntas sobre El Servicio Forestal (USFS), por favor comuníquese con su oficina local del distrito del USFS.

La calidad del aire ha mejorado mucho y ya no se encuentra en niveles altas. Si todavía desean ver el Smoke Outlook, visita: https://outlooks.airfire.org/outlook/es/ed63b240

Situación Actual: Los bomberos siguen trabajando a lo largo del perímetro del incendio en los áreas al norte, este y sur del incendio. Los áreas de calor residual son limitados y no tienen el potencial de una propagación significativa en este momento. El incendio no ha tenido un aumento de acres en varios días, y se mantiene a una línea contenido de 55%.

Condiciones Climáticas y de Combustibles: La humedad de las lluvias recientes ha ayudado a disminuir la actividad del incendio. Ayer teníamos 2/10 de pulgada en el incendio, pero los combustibles continúan secándose con los días soleados. Hoy, las temperaturas estarán en los 70 y 80. Tenemos 40% probabilidad de lluvia en la zona, pero parece que queda más al sur y al este del área del incendio. Los vientos seguirán llegando del oeste y noroeste a las 10-15 mph.

Evacuaciones, Cierres, y Restricciones de Incendios: Todavía hay un orden de evacuación previa vigente para CR 727 y Mill Creek. No hay otras evacuaciones o evacuaciones previas cerca del incendio. Para obtener más información sobre evacuaciones, consulte Manejo de Emergencias del Condado de Gunnison en www.gunnisoncounty.org. Puede registrarse para recibir alertas de emergencia en: https://bit.ly/3QhZVZg.

En interés de la seguridad pública, los bomberos piden a los visitantes que estén atentos al tráfico y que eviten el área. Las carreteras del condado 727 y 818 permanecen cerradas al público y son solo para tráfico local.

Todavía tenemos cierres del los bosques del USFS y BLM:

Cierres del Sistema Forestal Nacional: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd1126172.pdf.

Cierres temporarios del BLM: https://tinyurl.com/5n8s7xee.

Restricciones de Incendios en el Condado de Gunnison: Ninguno 

Estadísticas del Incendio Lowline:

Tamaño: 1871 acres         

Contenido: 55%

Personas: 138                  

Causa: Relȧmpago

Locación: 14 mi. NNW de Gunnison, CO

Reportado: 8:00 am July de 26, 2023

Para más Información:

Línea Telefónica:  970-648-4470 (publicó)*, 970-765-7123 (media)*

Reportes sobre la perspectiva de humo: https://outlooks.airfire.org/outlook/es/ed63b240

InciWeb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/cogmf-lowline-fire

Facebook: www.facebook.com/GMUGFireInfo

Lowline Fire Update

Sunday, August 13, 2023 – 9:00 a.m.

Type 3 Incident Management

Bryan Gaines, Incident Commander

Information Phone: 970-648-4470 (public)*, 970-765-7123 (media)*

Information Staffing Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Special Announcements: *On Monday, August 14th, the Lowline Fire Information and Media numbers will be deactivated. Moving forward, for active fire information, please call the GMUG Fire Information Hotline at (970) 874-6602. For any other USFS questions, please contact your local USFS District Office.

While smoke may be visible in and around the fire area, the air quality has greatly improved and is no longer at dangerous levels. Those still wishing to view the Smoke Outlook can find them here: https://outlooks.airfire.org/outlook/ed63b240

Current Situation: Firefighters maintain patrols along the fire perimeter on the north, east, and south edges of the fire. Current hotspots and smoking trees are limited and do not have the potential for significant spread. The fire has not experienced an increase in acreage in several days and remains at 55% containment.

Weather & Fuel Conditions: Moisture from recent rainfall has helped diminish fire activity. About 2/10 of an inch fell around the fire yesterday. However, fuels continue to dry as the sun comes out and cloud cover diminishes. Today’s temperatures are expected to be in the high 70s to low 80s. While there is a 40% chance of rain predicted, this moisture is expected to stay to the south and east of the fire area and may have little impact. Winds will continue to come from the West/Northwest at 10-15 miles per hour.

Evacuations, Closures, and Fire Restrictions: A pre-evacuation order remains in effect for CR 727, Mill Creek. No other evacuations or pre-evacuations are in place near the fire. For additional evacuation information, see Gunnison County Emergency Management at www.gunnisoncounty.org and sign up to receive emergency alerts at https://bit.ly/3QhZVZg.

In the interest of public safety, fire officials ask visitors to be aware of fire traffic and avoid the area. County Roads 727 and 818 remain closed to the general public and are for local traffic only. 

Closures remain on nearby USFS and BLM land.

For the National Forest closure, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd1129908.pdf. For the BLM closure, visit https://on.doi.gov/45lN2le

There are currently no fire restrictions in Gunnison County.

Lowline Fire Statistics:

Size: 1871 acres         

Containment: 55%

Total Personnel: 138  

Cause: lightning

Location: 14 mi. NNW of Gunnison, CO

Reported: 8:00 am July 26, 2023

For More Information:

Information Phone: 970-648-4470 (public)*, 970-765-7123 (media)*

Smoke Outlook: https://outlooks.airfire.org/outlook/ed63b240

InciWeb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/cogmf-lowline-fire

Facebook: www.facebook.com/GMUGFireInfo

Crews on the east side continue to construct a fuel break in the fire area. Chipping operations continue along FS Road 5070 south towards Sand Basin Creek. Snag removal operations continue in the Crystal Creek area. The crews on the west side continue to secure the line down to Railroad Creek, fortify the fire line and install hose lays.

NORTHERN ROCKIES TEAM 5 INCIDENT COMMANDER: JOE SAMPSON

CURRENT STATUS
In the southwestern area of the fire, crews completed handline construction along the fire’s edge. To the southwest of Beaver Lake, a specialized crew of firefighters successfully felled hazardous trees using explosives. These trees were too dangerous for crews to fell using chainsaws. Crews continued to pro-actively search for areas of heat to mop-up along the fire’s eastern edge. Even though smoke is not visible in this area, there are areas of ground that remain hot and have the potential to reignite. Crews searched out these hot spots and cooled them by mixing in cold dirt and water.

PLANNED ACTION
Crews will mop-up residual heat interior to the completed handline, dozer line, and roads on the fire’s southwest edge. They will use hose lays and pumps to assist with the mop-up process. Throughout the fire area, crews will continue to mitigate areas with hazard trees as needed to ensure crew safety while working. To the south and east of the fire area, crews will begin chipping operations. Firefighters chip wood to limit the concentrations of heavy fuels in and around the fire area. Essentially, by chipping the wood, it becomes less of a fire hazard. The unmanned aerial system (UAS) assigned to the fire will continue mapping hot spots on the fire’s northern flank.

WEATHER AND FIRE BEHAVIOR
The fire weather will continue its warming and drying trend with high temperatures, lower relative humidity and increased wind speeds. Fuels will continue to dry out with the expected temperatures in the fire area potentially reaching 90 degrees. Humidity will not be increasing as much overnight as it has in the past few weeks, meaning fuels will dry out further. In the next few days, the fire will mainly continue to smolder. However, the fire’s flame lengths, for areas with active fire spread, may reach up to about 6 inches. An increase in smoke is expected in the fire area.

Fire

The Black Feather Fire is 0% contained and has burned an estimated 2,198 acres. 

Black Feather Fire Active smoldering of heavy dead/down and blowdown fuels will continue to be limited by favorable weather through Tuesday.

Smoke

Higher humidity, cloud cover and daily rounds of scattered-widespread showers and thunderstorms will continue to reduce fire activity through Tuesday. Today’s seasonably moist air mass will be further enhanced going into Monday as cooler-than-average and more humid air backs in from the east and southeast behind a weakening frontal boundary. This pattern should boost wetting rainfall coverage across north-central NM on Monday particularly over/near the Black Feather Fire. Smoke impacts, if any, are expected to remain minimal and localized to areas near the fire perimeters. A day-to-day warming and drying trend with fewer storms is expected by mid-week. Overall, GOOD air quality conditions are expected through the outlook period.

SUMMARY

The Tin Soldier Complex is estimated at 2,694 acres in size and remains 0% contained. An IR flight found an increase of 62 acres over the last few days.

 Acres burned as of the morning of Sunday, August 13th. 

• Bruce Fire – 1002 acres at 0% containment 
• Kah Mtn Fire – 451 acres at 0% containment 
• Sullivan Fire – 1,241 acres at 0% containment 
• Con Kelly Fire – 0.25 acres – Out. 

The Bruce, Kah and Sullivan fires are being managed with point source protection to protect values at risk. Values at risk include Stony Communications Site, hydro-electric plant, Heinrude residential community, commercial guest ranches and the Spotted Bear Ranger Station compound. 

PAST AND PLANNED ACTIONS

Today’s actions will include ongoing structure protection efforts for the Spotted Bear Ranch, Diamond R Ranch, Spotted Bear Ranger Station compound, and the Heinrude residential community. Mechanical equipment finished the fuel break to the north and south of the Heinrude community and is continuing to establish a fuel break on the west side of FS Road #895. A crew is working today to complete wrapping the Spotted Bear Lookout.

EVACUATIONS, CLOSURES AND RESTRICTIONS 

Evacuation:  An evacuation has been issued by the Flathead County Sheriff for Heinrude community.

Restrictions/Closures: 

• Stage 2 fire restrictions are in effect as of August 5th.
• An area closure is in effect for the Hungry Horse Reservoir, the front country of the Spotted Bear district as well the Gorge Creek drainage within the Bob Marshall Wilderness area.
• A Temporary Flight Restriction is in place for air space over the Tin Soldier Complex to provide a safe environment for firefighting aircraft operating in the area.  This includes the Spotted Bear and Meadow Creek Airstrips!  Remember that temporary flight restrictions also apply to UAS or drones. If you fly, we can’t!                   

WEATHER

Today is expected to be mostly sunny, with temperatures in the mid 80s. A wind shift to the northeast then east direction will occur tonight, with gusts up to 25 MPH possible on ridgetops. The warming and drying trend will begin in earnest Monday through mid-week. Wednesday will likely be the hottest and driest day, with the potential to present critical fire weather conditions.

FIRE PREVENTION

Dragging trailer safety chains can create sparks and start wildfires. Go to https://www.mtfireinfo.org/ for fire prevention tips.

Make sure to use appropriate safety precautions to unsure you aren’t the cause of a wildland fire:

• Ensure chains are attached correctly, chains should be crossed under the hitch to form an X.
• There should be at least 5 inches between the chains and the pavement.
• If the chains are too long, you can twist them a few times to shorten them.
• Use safety pins and hitch ball to secure chains.

Dial 911 to report a roadside fire.

CENTRAL UTAH INTERAGENCY FIRE - Thompson Ridge Fire

RELEASE DATE: August 12, 2023

MEDIA CONTACT: Sierra Hellstrom, 435-352-6435            2023.thompsonridge@firenet

FIRE SITUATION

Due to the scouting work that was completed the last few days, firefighters were able to identify areas to safely engage in suppression tactics around the fire perimeter.

Near the northwest edge of the fire, firefighters will begin building indirect line in the South Creek drainage today. Crews continue improving line where the fire burned into the footprint of the old Pole Creek Fire. Firefighters along the southeast edge of the fire will continue building and maintaining line westward from Birch Creek Campground. Two hot shot crews have been inserted along the southern perimeter of the fire and will begin implementing suppression tactics along that edge. Throughout the fire area, helicopters will support firefighters on the ground with bucket drops.

Monsoonal moisture continued to assist firefighting operations yesterday, with about 0.1” to as much as 0.25” rain in parts of the fire area. Today there will be a new weather system moving in from the southeast, bringing winds from the east. Cooler, damper conditions will remain, but winds may increase fire activity when wind direction and terrain align.

Great Basin Team 5 will be hosting community meetings in Junction and Beaver this week. The Junction meeting will be at the fire house at 6 p.m. on Monday, 8/14. The meeting in Beaver will be at the City Center at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, 8/15. Both meetings will be streamed on the Fishlake National Forest Facebook page for those who are unable to attend in-person.

EVACUATIONS: None

CLOSURES: Please refer to closure order. Please note that SR-153, Kent’s Lake Road (137), Upper and Lower Kent’s Lake, Little Res. Campground, Anderson Meadow, and LeBaron remain open at this time. Use caution in and around these areas, as you will see an influx of both ground and aviation equipment working to suppress the fire.

STATUS

Start Date: August 4, 2023

Incident Type: Wildfire

Size: 7,289 acres

Cause: Lightning

Containment: 0%

Location: 10 miles southeast of Beaver, Utah

Terrain: Steep, rugged terrain in remote areas transitioning to rolling pinyon juniper hills

Structures Threatened: None

RESOURCES

Engines: 11

Water Tenders: 2

Crews: 9

Helicopters: 6

Dozers: 3

Total Personnel: 344

Ridge Fire Daily Update for August 13, 2023

Fire Information: 406-998-6074

Hours: 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM

Email: 2023.ridge@firenet.gov

Incident Website:  http://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/mtfnf-ridge-fire

Location: 6 miles southeast of Hungry Horse

Size: 3,132 acres

Percent Contained: 5 %

Cause: Lightning

Start Date: July 30, 2023, 3:45 PM

Vegetation: Timber (Litter and Understory), Tall Grass, and Brush

Number of Personnel Assigned:   385

CURRENT SITUATION:  Yesterday at the southern edge of the fire, the handline with containment held with no spread toward Emery Bay Campground or Boat Launch. Engine companies installed hose lays there and are extinguishing heat found near the line. Crews continued to construct direct handline along the western edge. They have progressed into a designated area called Research Natural Area (RNA). The RNA is an area with long term research-based studies. It is managed by the Flathead National Forest and the Rocky Mountain Research Station. On the northern edge of the fire, bulldozers have constructed direct and indirect fire line. Steep terrain soon will become too dangerous to proceed with bulldozers. As hand crews complete fire lines along the western edge, they will pick up where the dozers left off and continue line construction to the east. Along the Emery Creek Road, engines were extinguishing hot spots on both sides of the road. Heli-rappelers constructed a heli-spot near Hungry Horse Mountain. This heli-spot was constructed to gain access to the less accessible fire area on the eastern edge when resource finish the priority of community protection on the western flank..

Today, crews will continue direct line on the southern edge of the fire from the area shown on the map with 5% of containment. They will progress west and north extending further into the RNA in their progress to connect with the dozer lines on the northern edge. The bulldozers on the northern edge of the fire will be scouting ridges access and secondary fire lines.  Air resources will continue to drop water on the eastern edge of the fire to slow its progression and assist ground crews to cool the fires edge. Structure protection assessments continue. The efforts are not only increasing awareness of the community for the Ridge Fire but will provide guidance to local agencies in case of future evacuations needs.    

WEATHER:  Today’s weather is forecast to be mostly sunny with a maximum temperature of 85 degrees, minimum relative humidity of 20% at lower elevations, with winds being light and terrain driven.

CLOSURES:  The Hungry Horse Reservoir is closed to all public access, including both the east and west side roads. As firefighting efforts continue on the Ridge Fire, the Tin Soldier Complex, and other fires in the area, the closure is in place to provide for public and firefighter safety. https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/flathead/alerts-notices/?aid=82283

PRE-EVACUATION NOTICE:  The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office has issued a pre-evacuation notice from the east side of Spotted Bear Road to West Glacier. https://www.facebook.com/flatheadsheriff

EMERGENCY SHELTER:  The American Red Cross has identified the following location as an emergency shelter for residents affected by the Ridge Fire. Those who plan to use the emergency shelter are asked to call 1-800-733-2767 prior to your arrival.

Columbia Falls Junior High School
1805 Talbot Road
Columbia Falls, MT

https://www.facebook.com/FlatheadOES

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:  Residents should stay alert for changing conditions and visit ready.gov/wildfires for preparing for wildfires. Please refer to http://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/mtfnf-tin-soldier-complex for the Tin Soldier Complex incident information.

“Pleased with the progress”, stated Chuck Mark, the Salmon-Challis Forest Supervisor at the planning meeting to Great Basin Incident Management Team 4. These were his sentiments after hearing the current status of fire suppression repair progress and the plan presented for the coming days.

Suppression repair work has continued with hand crews and heavy equipment making good progress repairing the landscape and previous firelines. Steep slopes, long distances to cover, and hazardous dead and down trees, are a variety of challenges that firefighters face. While simultaneously working firefighting operations and suppression repair efforts with heavy equipment, extra coordination and communication is needed to ensure safe operations.  

With the movement of numerous pieces of heavy equipment, one unique tactic that is being used protect the integrity of cattle guards and culverts, is to utilize used tires to drive over for added protection. Extra care and concern goes into causing the least amount of disturbance as possible. Crews are also completing fence repair where it was damaged from operations and cleaning up downed trees and scattering them to disperse fuels.

The majority of the remaining areas showing heat and smoke are in the same places and not causing concern. The upper Mores Creek drainage is still producing pockets of heat which remain in the confinement area. Firefighters continue to patrol for heat and fire growth.

The weather today will be slightly cooler in the 70s with relatively humid conditions ranging from 20% to 30%, and northerly winds with gusts up to 22 mph. Without any rain for several days, fuels are continuing to dry out and there is potential for more fire activity.

Evacuations:  All evacuation zones are currently in the ready status. The Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office, in coordination with the local agencies and Incident Management Team, has identified evacuation zones. Please visit Lemhi County at www.lemhicountyidaho.org for a map and explanation of the zones.

Closures:  For the safety of firefighters and the public, the Salmon-Challis National Forest has enacted an area closure around the Hayden Fire.  A map and description of the closure area can be found at https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-closures/idscf-hayden-fire. 

Fire Restrictions:  Stage 1 Fire Restrictions are in effect on the Salmon-Challis National Forest, Idaho Department of Lands, and Bureau of Land Management jurisdiction. For more information, please visit the Salmon-Challis National Forest’s Alerts and Notices at https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/scnf/alerts-notices.

Big Knife, Niarada, & Mill Pocket Fires

Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes

Fire Information: 406-426-9595 | 2023.BigKnife@firenet.gov

https://tinyurl.com/BigKnifeFire      https://tinyurl.com/NiaradaMillPocketFires

August 13, 2023

Location: Big Knife - 5 miles east of Arlee, MT | Niarada - 12 miles west of Elmo, MT | Mill Pocket: 3 miles West of Hwy. 28

Start Date: Big Knife - 7/24/2023 | Niarada - 7/30/2023 | Mill Pocket – 7/30/2023    Cause: Lightning       Structures Lost: 4

Big Knife-4,952 acres, 7% contained | Niarada–20,365 acres, 70% contained | Mill Pocket– 2,135 acres, 89% contained

Total Personnel: 657 total    Engines: 46       Aircraft: 1 + others available as needed     Hand Crews: 10

Big Knife Fire

As the weather gets hotter and drier, fire activity will increase again, especially at the lower to mid-elevations. Fire managers with the Incident Management Team, BIA, and CSKT are having extensive conversations about long-term planning for the Big Knife Fire. These discussions include balancing protecting homes, infrastructure, and cultural resources, with the risk to firefighters and the likelihood of success. Because of this, different tactics are being used on the fire's north, west, east and south sides.

Helicopters have been doing water drops to minimize the fire's spread into Gold Creek on the northern perimeter. Crews have completed a fuel break along the Jocko Canyon Road and line preparation and vegetation reduction along the Jocko S Canal Road. Equipment operators and crews finished control lines along the fire's southwestern edge to Agency Creek. Firefighters are monitoring the fire in these areas and are prepared to act if the fire moves down toward the lines.

On the south side, firefighters are working to keep the fire north of Agency Creek. Helicopters have dropped water to cool the edge, and sawyers have been cutting down hazard trees to allow safe access. Additional crews will be inserted in this area to finish hazard tree mitigation and evaluate opportunities for digging handline and going direct on the fire’s edge.

To the east of the fire, crews finished installing sprinkler systems and pumps around several pieces of infrastructure and the Jocko Lookout. The lookout has been covered with a fire-resistant wrap. Fire managers are discussing the next steps for this area, balancing the benefits of fire on the landscape, the risk to firefighters and pilots, and the values threatened.

Niarada & Mill Pocket Fires

Firefighters have worked hard to reach containment around a large portion of the fire perimeter the past two weeks. Near Highway 28, skilled sawyers have been cutting fire-killed snags (dead-standing trees), enabling safe access for hand crews to previously hazardous, inaccessible areas.

Along the southeastern and southwestern sides, crews continue to work directly along the fire’s edge to eliminate heat and build firelines. Several Type 1 Interagency Hotshot Crews have been improving firelines and preparing for a strategic firing operation on the southwest side. This operation will be done during favorable conditions to secure portions of the indirect line where it’s unsafe for firefighters to go direct. Fire managers planned to implement other firing operations, but those operations have been deemed unnecessary because the weather moderated fire behavior which allowed crews to go direct.

Structure protection crews continue to work outside Elmo toward Big Arm, testing sprinkler systems and pumps while working with landowners on additional vegetation management around structures.

Containment of the Mill Pocket Fire continues to increase. Much of the remaining perimeter is in mop-up and patrol status. However, heat remains in steep scree slopes on the northwestern side. Helicopters continue to drop water as needed, and crews are mopping up hot spots where they can access them.

WEATHER AND FIRE BEHAVIOR

Today, temperatures will begin increasing as humidity levels drop. A very hot and dry pattern is expected to form starting Monday and extending through Wednesday. As vegetation dries out, the potential for more active fire behavior will increase.

CLOSURES AND SPECIAL MESSAGES

Several areas near the base of the mountains west of the Big Knife Fire remain in PRE-EVACUATION status by order of the Lake County Sheriff. See the map for those locations in yellow (Jocko, Canal, Francis). In the Tribal Primitive Area, Belmore Slough and Burnt Cabin Roads are closed.

Near the Niarada Fire, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office has a PRE-EVACUATION WARNING in place for the area that includes Alexander Road, Early Dawn Road, Spring Lane Road, Walking Horse Lane, Windward Heights Road, Wildhorse View, Buffalo Bridge Road, Saddle Drive, Island Butte Lane, Bridle Path, Ten Deuce Way, Cliffview Drive, and Ricketts Road. The remainder of the town of Elmo is in READY status.

A PRE-EVACUATION WARNING means you may be in your home. However, as there still is a risk from both fires, those in this status should not bring back evacuated livestock until the area is downgraded to READY status.

A temporary flight restriction (TFR) is in effect around both fire areas. Do not fly unmanned aircraft (drones) near the fire areas, as that is hazardous for pilots, and the firefighters on the ground who rely on aircraft support. Remember, if you fly, we can’t!

FIRE RESTRICTIONS

Stage 2 fire restrictions are in place across the Flathead Indian Reservation. No campfires are allowed, no smoking outside of vehicles, no operating combustible engines from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m., no operating vehicles off designated roads and trails. Residents and visitors are encouraged to visit www.MTFireInfo.org for more fire information across Montana.