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High Fire |
Incident Information Contacts:
(406)755-3910 (voice) and (406)755-3931 (fax)
Contact: Lewis and Clark National Forest, Augusta Information Station, 406-562-3247
Cause: Lightning ignition from a storm that occurred on Friday, August 15, 2003
Incident Commander: George Weldon
Fire Information Officers: Merle Glenn direct line 406-562-3341
Total Acres & Status: 120 acres. The High Fire is burning at 7600 feet elevation within the Bob Marshall Wilderness. The fire was reported on Tuesday, August 19. It has not grown since Thursday, August 21, 2003.
Location: Bob Marshall Wilderness, approximately 2 miles west of Sugarloaf Mountain in T 19 N, R 11 W, Sections 10 and 15. The fire is approximately 1 air mile west of the Continental Divide and 6.5 air miles west of Benchmark Road.
Total Personnel available on 8-29-03: 18 personnel
Summary of Activities: Throughout Thursday, cool cloudy weather helped maintain the status of the High Fire; there was no increase in acreage. Some smoking was observed in the interior of the fire, primarily in the northeast corner. Incident Commander, George Weldon, said retardant placed on the perimeter of the fire has been a successful strategy toward containment. On Friday, a helicopter will complete a cycle of water bucket drops. Aerial observation of the fire will continue and aggressive suppression will be instigated if the fire conditions change.
The Incident Command Team (Weldon) has been assigned to manage the Little Salmon Creek Complex and began their transition today. They will be working from the Spotted Bear Ranger District on the Flathead Ranger District. The High Fire is now included in the Little Salmon Creek Complex and the Team will continue to manage and monitor the High Fire. An information officer will remain in Augusta and can be reached at the number listed above.
CHANGES TO CLOSURES !!!: Although the airspace over the fire remains closed, Benchmark airstrip has been re-opened. Benchmark Campground has also been re-opened for campers. Campers are reminded that the Stage II Fire Restrictions remain in effect. These restrictions disallow campfires and the use of briquettes for cooking. Only gas stoves or propane stoves are allowed. Smoking is also not allowed except within an enclosed vehicle or building, or developed recreation site. Motorized travel is allowed only on designated roads or trails shown on the Travel Plan map. Use of portable combustion engines is ONLY ALLOWED between 1:00 AM and 1:00 PM. Hunters and hikers planning Labor Day weekend trips are advised to check the Ranger District offices for the latest information on area closures.
Website Addresses:
Little Salmon Complex: www.fs.fed.us/nwacfire/salmon/news/index.html
Snow Talon Fire: www.fs.fed.us/r1/helena/news/index
NOTICE: This is the real address, Honest! The images shown at the public meeting on Tuesday, August 26th will be posted on the following website by Thursday afternoon:
www.fs.fed.us/r1/lewisclark/fire/index.shtml
Concerns/Objectives: The objective is to keep the fire within the Wilderness boundary and to maintain cooperative communication and effective contact with county and state officials and the local home and landowners. Concerns are for aircraft operation safety and public safety. Minimum impact suppression tactics will be followed within the Wilderness area.Jurisdiction: US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service – Flathead National Forest, but fire management is being handled by the Lewis and Clark National Forest, Rocky Mountain Ranger District in coordination with the Lewis & Clark County Sheriff’s office.
History:
Report from Wednesday, August 27, 2003 – On Tuesday, August 26 air suppression activities continued with one Type 1 helicopter lining the perimeter of the High Fire with 24,500 gallons of retardant mixed at the Benchmark airstrip plant. In late afternoon, the pilots noted a spot fire outside the main fire perimeter and spent time dropping retardant and cooling the new hotspot. In addition to the retardant, the helicopter spread 13,600 gallons of water on hotspots within the perimeter. Settled weather conditions allowed the aircraft to work until 6 pm on Tuesday evening.
On Wednesday, this Type 1 helicopter will be dispatched to the Kootenai National Forest and a Type 3 helicopter will remain on the fire to conduct light water bucket loads as necessary throughout the day. The retardant mixing plant on the Benchmark airstrip will be dismantled and relocated to a staging area on the Lewis & Clark National Forest to service any new fires that may occur in the days ahead.
Weather predictions call for a Pacific cold front to pass through the area late Tuesday evening /early Wednesday morning. This front is expected to bring slightly higher relative humidity, winds from the southwest and potential dry lightning. No significant rainfall is predicted. The long-term forecast calls for a Canadian cold front to pass through the area late Wednesday evening/early Thursday bringing northerly winds and significantly cooler temperatures. High temperatures may be only in the 70’s, a real reprieve from the incessant heat this summer. Excellent humidity recovery is expected with this Canadian cold front.
Report from Tuesday, August 26, 2003 - On Monday, two Type 1 helicopters spent the day shuttling retardant from the portable mixing plant at Benchmark airstrip to the High Fire. With payloads between 600 gallons and 1400 gallons per flight, the two aircraft dropped over 70,000 gallons of retardant along the fire perimeter. Operations Chief, Norm Kamrud said, “The retardant knocked considerable energy from the High Fire.” Retardant is an effective deterrent to fires and can prevent advancement into unburned areas. Air operations personnel estimated the crews were making six drops on the fire each hour and could operate approximately 90 minutes before refueling. Although available for initial attack needs along the east Rocky Mountain range, the Type I helicopters were not needed for other assignments and remained dedicated to the High Fire for the entire day.
With a payload of 2000 gallons, a third Type I helicopter bucket dropped thousands of water on hotspots within the fire’s interior. All three aircraft flew continually throughout the afternoon and into the early twilight. Afternoon winds averaging 20-25 mph did not hamper the continuous flight pattern.
Ground support personnel assigned to the portable retardant mixing plant were continually mixing the phosphate slurry in preparation for the non-stop flights. The crew, from Santa Barbara, CA, has traveled to fires in New Mexico, Idaho, California, and Montana this summer.
The fire management strategy remains the same - to prevent advance of the fire into adjacent Fiction Creek (to the north) and Sugarloaf Creek (to the south).
Report from Monday, August 25, 2003 - Despite a warming trend and winds averaging 25 mph with occasional gusts to 40 mph, the High Fire did not advance on Sunday and remained at 120 acres. Cooler daytime temperatures, coupled with higher relative humidity, contributed to the fire’s stagnation.Fire Personnel spent Sunday assembling the portable fire retardant plant at the Benchmark airstrip in preparation for airdrops on Monday. Two Type I helicopters made continuous bucket drops of water on the perimeter the fire. Conservative estimates indicate approximately 200,000 gallons were spread on the fire. The treatment effectively cooled hot spots where the canopy had already been burned and water fell directly to the ground. Water was dipped from a pond located northeast of the fire. The payload on these helicopters is rated at 2000 gallons.
On Monday, August 25, the two Type I helicopters will begin dipping fire retardant from the mixing plant at Benchmark airstrip. Retardant is more effective in deterring the fire’s progress and prevents the fire’s advance into unburned areas. This retardant plant will also serve initial attack needs if new fires are detected along the east front from Browning south to Highway 200. No structures are threatened by the High Fire. Due to the inaccessibility of the steep terrain, ground crews are currently not assigned to this fire, in lieu of the aggressive aerial attack. Fire personnel continue their management strategy of preventing advance of the fire into adjacent Fiction Creek (to the north) and Sugarloaf Creek (to the south).
Report from Sunday, August 24, 2003 - Cooler, humid conditions on Friday evening, August 22 and Saturday morning slowed the fire’s progress. The fire has not made any significant advances since Thursday, August 21. It is burning in high elevation subalpine fir, spruce and whitebark pine mix. The eastern edge of the fire has burned relatively clean, but the north and south perimeters contain unburned material within the interior. No structures are threatened. Due to the inaccessibility of the steep terrain, ground crews are currently not assigned to this fire. Instead, an aggressive aerial attack is planned using Type I helicopters. The aircraft will be loaded from a portable retardant plant stationed at the Benchmark airstrip. The portable plant will be under construction on Sunday, August 24. Aircraft will drop retardant loads on the fire beginning either late Sunday afternoon or Monday morning, August 25. The management strategy is intended to prevent advance of the fire into adjacent Fiction Creek (to the north) and Sugarloaf Creek (to the south). This retardant plant will also serve initial attack needs along the entire east front from Browning south to Highway 200.
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