Idaho fire gets NIMO team

The lightning-caused Halstead Fire northwest of Stanley, Idaho, is mapped at 5,047 acres. Resources assigned include six T1 crews, two T2 crews, two T1 helicopters and a T3 helicopter, two T6 engines, and two T4 engines.

Halstead Fire in Idaho
Halstead Fire in Idaho

The fire started on July 27 between Beaver Creek and Marsh Creek; it’s burning in subalpine fir and lodgepole pine. Firefighters are building fuel breaks along Beaver Creek Road; they’ve reported single and group tree torching on the fire. Houseman’s National Incident Management Organization team took command of the fire early this morning.

An Emergency Area Closure was issued yesterday for all access points to the Cape Horn Area, all access to the Seafoam Bubble, all access to the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness east of the Middle Fork Wild and Scenic River Corridor, east of Bluebunch Ridge, and north of Lola Creek, the area northwest of the Knapp-Loon Trail and west of the Pinyon-Feltham Road. In addition, the Pinyon Peak Road in its entirety is closed.

Montana firefighters busy, tankers committed

Montana fires are picking up, and a cold front is expected to bring high winds to the region tomorrow.

The Missoulian reported that the Bitterroot National Forest was staffing three active fires between Sula and Stevensville, all lightning-caused and no more than three acres in size. Crews are being demobilized on the 2,500-acre Chrandal Creek Fire.

According to the Helena Independent Record, the week’s forecast includes dry and warm weather with a chance of thunder and lightning. Paul Nutter, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Great Falls, said the agency’s concerned about fire danger. He said Thursday’s weather will include gusty winds and continued dry conditions, with temperatures in the 80s. July precipitation was only 0.6 inches — normal is 1.12 inches.

Aerial scouts with the Lolo National Forest flew parts of the Scapegoat Wilderness on Tuesday, looking for hikers in the path of a new wilderness fire showing a high potential for growth. The Missoulian reported that the Falls Point Fire grew to 300 acres on Monday and was burning actively Tuesday in the North Fork of the Blackfoot River drainage about 13 miles north of Ovando.

Chrandal Creek Fire smoke drifts over the valley on 07/25
Chrandal Creek Fire smoke drifts over the valley on 07/25

The Northern Rockies Coordination Center noted numerous new fires in the last 48 hours.  Smokejumpers were assigned yesterday to the Goblin Gulch Fire southeast of Great Falls. The fire was at 20 acres by late morning and a ‘shot crew was on order. Resources were also ordered for the 100-acre Chain Butte Fire northeast of Lewistown. Kusicko’s Type 2 IMT was ordered in late afternoon for the 100-acre Butler Fire 28 miles northwest of Missoula. Three airtankers and a lead plane were assigned.

The 3,000-acre East Sarpy Fire was reported this morning about 23 miles southwest of Colstrip. Four airtankers and a lead were assigned, with a Type 2 team on order. The Goblin Gulch Fire grew about 160 acres overnight; it has a lead and an airtanker committed, as does the Butler Fire.

Lead 12 and Tanker 40 are assigned to the Bear Hill Fire southwest of Anaconda. Just after noon today a new set of fires was reported. The Rosebud Complex in Rosebud County includes the 2,000-acre Juniper Fire, the 200-acre Butte Fire, and the 150-acre Midnight Fire. Benes’ Type 2 team has been ordered.

California reducing inmate crews

CalFire says the state’s inmate fire crews will be reduced because of the California’s decision to move low-level offenders from state prisons to space in county jails. The state’s inmate crews are often the first crews on initial attack. More than 4,000 in the state are trained in wildfire suppression skills, but the number is expected to be closer to 2,500 this summer.

The shift is one result of Gov. Jerry Brown’s realignment program, which reduces the number of state prisoners and cuts costs by housing more inmates in county jails. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that county inmates could make up the loss, but the state and county sheriffs have not yet agreed on details.

CalFire inmate crew
CalFire inmate crew

Inmate crews stay in 42 conservation camps throughout the state. They can be assigned to wildfires or dispatched out for non-fire emergencies, and the crews provide labor for fuels reduction projects and even park maintenance. Inmates are paid about $1 per day, or $1 per hour when fighting fire. The state has 169 crews, three of which are women-only, with 13 to 17 people on a crew.

An editorial in the Redding Record-Searchlight said the conservation camps need a hero who can save the system from collapse.

Nevada County Sheriff Keith Royal, the president of the California State Sheriffs’ Association, said sheriffs and state officials are drafting an agreement that would charge counties $46 per day for keeping county inmates in the camps. Royal said most sheriffs won’t participate, though, because of the cost.

CalFire bills for fire prevention

California homeowners will soon receive bills in the mail for fire protection. Beginning next week, bills for as much as $150 will be sent; most homeowners’ bills will run $115, with a $35 discount for people who live in fire protection districts and already pay for fire services.

The annual fee is controversial; it was signed into law last year to provide funding for CalFire and has been heavily criticized by rural residents who view it as “double taxation.” Taxpayer advocate groups, according to the Union Democrat, argue that the fee is a tax and should have required a two-thirds vote by the Legislature instead of just a simple majority vote.

Houses and other structures in the 31-million-acre State Responsibility Area (SRA) will be billed at the $150 rate. Daniel Berlant with CalFire told KPBS news that the number of structures in the SRA has grown by about 16 percent in the last decade. “That’s where the residential area starts meeting up into the forest,” said Berlant. “It’s that middle section that we call the wildland-urban interface where we see the most fires that cause impact and damage throughout California,so the rural residents that the state is responsible for protecting are the ones that will be assessed the fee.”

CalFire home safety site

The annual fee is $150 for the first structure and $25 for each additional structure on the property. The Rancho Santa Fe Review reported that the funds pay for prevention activities on SRA lands.

CalFire has a parcel viewer online to view mapped SRA lands.

Property owners who disagree with the fire fee assessed on their properties can petition for a redetermination of the fee calculation. The petition must be based on whether the fee applies to the property for which the petition is filed, and must detail the grounds for redetermination of the fee. Grounds could include proof of whether the structure is actually located in the SRA or the number of habitable structures or pre-existing local fire protection services. The firepreventionfee.org website has more details.

Wilderness Fires in Utah and Montana

The Dallas Canyon Fire, about 50 miles west of Salt Lake City, was mapped today at 43,610 acres. Ignited by lightning on July 27, the fire’s burning in the Cedar Mountain Wilderness Area southwest of the community of Delle. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the fire area includes sensitive habitat for sage grouse, pronghorn antelope, and wild burros — along with raptor nesting grounds.

Resources on the fire include about 360 firefighters, and Erik Haberstick’s team put the fire at 60 percent containment this morning.

Another wilderness fire, the Rapid Creek Fire in the Bob Marshall, took off yesterday. The Great Falls Tribune reported that the fire is 27 miles west of Augusta.

Rapid Creek Fire
The fire was reported at about noon on Sunday by two different lookouts. It was estimated at 3,000 acres late yesterday, burning in heavy timber and mountain pine beetle kill, and it grew to over 5,000 acres by this morning.

Dave Cunningham with the Lewis and Clark National Forest said an incident management team and air resources have been ordered; fire behavior has included sustained crown runs. The Rapid Creek Fire yesterday burned over the Continental Divide and into the Triple Divide Fire, then into the Elbow Pass Fire. Sheriff’s deputies and USFS personnel contacted cabin owners and others in the area and warned them that the fire could move toward the Benchmark Corridor.

The 700-acre Elbow Pass Fire in the Scapegoat started on July 12 southwest of Augusta, and the Triple Divide fire west of Augusta is at about 7 acres.  The complex is being managed as a suppression fire.