![[Graphic]: National Park Service logo shield icon](../../images/park_sm.gif){kind=small} |
 |
Wedge Canyon Complex |
![[Graphic]: Great Basin Interagency Incident Management Team logo.](../images/great_basin.gif)
7:30 AM Monday, September 1, 2003
Contact:
Name Tina Boehle
Phone 801-413-0525
Fax 503-296-2144
| What: Wildland Fire, Lightning Caused |
Started: July 18,2003 |
General Location: About 42 miles north of Columbia Falls, Montana, and 6 miles south of the Canadian border.
Current Size: 48,763 Acres
| Containment: 75% |
Expected Containment Date: 9/15/2003 at 1800 hrs. |
Threats: Whale Creek residents along the North Fork Road, Trail Creek Residents (approximately 100 homes/cabins), historic buildings and Kintla Campground. Timber, Recreation, Fisheries, and Wild and Scenic River Resources.
Injuries: 0 in last 24 hours: 24 total incident
Jurisdiction: USDA Forest Service (Flathead National Forest), Flathead County, and Glacier National Park
Other Cooperating Agencies: Montana DNRC, BIA and BLM
Remarks: To date: 7 houses/cabins, 29 outbuildings were lost and 1 house/cabin damaged.
Resources on the fire:
Ken Paul’s IMT Type II Team briefed and turned the fire over to Merrill Saleen’s IMT Type II Team at the end of shift on Sunday evening.
Fire activity throughout the fire was low most of the day due to the deep inversion over the area until mid-afternoon. Upon the inversion lifting, the fire activity increased in the southeast section of line east of the North Fork of the Flathead River. All of the active fire was inside the containment lines, and was burning the fuel between the fireline and the fire’s edge.
Afternoon fire activity occurred in the northwestern portion of the fire on the slopes south of Trail Creek. This burning was also well within the containment lines, and posed no threat of escape.
Crews continue to improve established lines, and mop up hotspots within 100 feet of the fireline. Structure protection continued around and near residences throughout the fire area.
The plan for today is to continue to mop up and patrol those sections of the line with low fire activity and to improve the lines where the fire has been more active. If the smoke inversion lifts early enough and all other conditions are right, a burn out is planned along the fireline in the southeast portion of the fire( east of the North Fork of the Flathead River) to connect the meadow areas and designed to secure that portion of the fire.
NOTE OF CLARIFICATION: The Flathead National Forest has opened the North Fork of the Flathead River to rafting from Polebridge to Big Creek. Please note that rafters can take out anywhere along that stretch of river; but may not float beyond Big Creek. No overnight camping is permitted along the river.
CONTACTS
[ Back to Top ]
| Glacier
National Park |
Flathead National Forest |