Wedge Canyon Complex Fact Sheet

WEDGE CANYON FIRE UPDATE

Fact Sheet 48

7:30 AM Wednesday, September 3, 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: 51,249 Acres

Containment: 76%

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: 25 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. (July 26 and July 31, 2003)

Resources on the fire:

Update: 9/3

Good progress was made Tuesday as dozer line was completed on the northwest Trail Creek division and crews advanced on the secondary hand line construction. The fire continues to slowly back down towards the Trail Creek road. Heavy timber with abundant dead and down trees, coupled with rough terrain, is the major control problem in the area.

Significant smoke inversion grounded air operations on Tuesday and conditions are not expected to change until Thursday, when a cooler weather pattern arrives. This pattern brings with it a chance of increased winds and possible moisture early next week.

Structure protection remains in effect for Trail Creek, Teepee Lake, North Fork Road and Bowman Lake areas.

Burn out operations went well Tuesday on the southeast division near Akokala Creek. Crews will continue line construction on Wednesday connecting the old Red Bench Burn of 1988 and thereby diminishing the threat of fire moving into the North Fork Road area.

The north end of the fire near Kintla Lake poses no immediate threat while creeping and smoldering in rock.

All of the active fire is inside the containment lines, burning the fuel between the fire line and the fire’s edge. Supported with engines, crews will continue to extinguish hot spots within 100 feet of the perimeter as they flare up in hot afternoon temperatures.

The Wolf Gun fire was not flown today as air support was cancelled due to the inversion. Aerial patrol will continue as soon as conditions permit.

A power point presentation was well-attended Tuesday evening in Polebridge as community members viewed the aerial photos of the fire as well as burn out operations.