The photo above was taken Sunday by state employees from a Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation helicopter during the initial attack of the Albert fire west of Missoula on the south side of the Clark Fork River.
It is a very interesting photo, in that you can see what appear to be multiple spot fires. How many can you count?
The spread of the fire was halted at 75 acres Sunday night, but firefighters still have a lot of work to do on the fire. They credit their success to a quick and aggressive initial attack with single engine air tankers, helicopters, and ground resources who could take advantage of the aerial attack.
Here is one other photo also taken from the helicopter:
A BAe-146 air tanker drops on a fire near Pompeys Pillar, MT, Sept. 2, 2012. Photo by Lisa Openshaw, Shepherd Volunteer Fire Department
On Sunday firefighters stopped a fire after it burned 326 acres north of Pompeys Pillar in Montana (see photo above).
The National Interagency Fire Center moved the national preparedness level from four to three.
Elizabeth Reinhardt of the USFS and Dick Bahr of the NPS are quoted in an article about how larger and more frequent fires over the last several decades have limited the size of some fires, as they move into the previously burned areas.
Wildfire south of Porto, Portugal, September 2, 2012
Hot, dry, and windy weather led to several large wildfires in Portugal on Sunday.
Fire managers have set up a new camp in the West Fork of the Bitterroot to engage the Montana portion of the enormous Mustang Fire that started in Idaho and burned across the state line.
A roll-over vehicle accident occurred in the Sage Creek area this afternoon; one person was transported and admitted to a local hospital.
The complex is just 16 percent contained tonight at well over 205,000 acres [map]. A couple hundred firefighters will be assigned to the new fire camp.
Mustang Fire along the Salmon River – USFS photo
Brian Harris, a fire information officer on the Mustang Complex, said the fire’s burned to within a couple of miles of the Hughes Creek area of the West Fork of the Bitterroot.
“This fire is so large and so massive and the weather has been so uncooperative that firefighters have only been able to put speed bumps in front of the fire in an attempt to slow it down,” Harris said.
He said crews are installing sprinklers and removing fuels in some areas. USFS Darby District Ranger Chuck Oliver said there’s some concern about the proximity of the fire to the Lost Trail Ski Area – not far from a contentious area of late with locals because of the ski cabin built and run by locals who have recently been unjustly stiffed by the USFS.
Late Thursday afternoon, the fire was about 12 air miles away from the ski area.
“We don’t want to give people any indication that the fire is imminent,” Oliver said. “We are just beginning to talk about the what-ifs so we can start preparing contingency plans should the fire move this way.”
The fire took off and made a 30,000-acre run on Tuesday. Air quality conditions in the Missoula and Bitterroot valleys had deteriorated by Thursday afternoon, according to the Billings Gazette, from smoke pouring in from Idaho.
Firefighters struggled yesterday in fighting Montana wildfires that have burned homes and caused injuries. One new fire was reported south of Ashland, and two others erupted in Gallatin Canyon south of Bozeman. One of the Gallatin Canyon fires was contained by late afternoon. The 19 Mile Fire is about 2 percent contained at 4,000 acres; it’s southeast of Butte, south of I-90 and north of Highway 2. Firefighters are working on structure protection in the Whiskey Gulch area.
The 19 Mile fire torched this and other residences on Thursday. Photo by Steve DiGiovanna, Madison County Disaster & Emergency Services.
According to an AP report, a new wildfire in Paradise Valley near Yellowstone National Park took off Wednesday and resulted in minor injuries to firefighters and members of the public. The Pine Creek Fire caught residents unaware; they were forced to flee the village of Pine Creek, south of Livingston, without packing any bags. Park County Commissioner Marty Malone said about 200 people live in the area and that some tried to fight the fire themselves, including a man who turned a hose on the flames until the power to an electric water pump was cut off by the fire and the water stopped running.
The fire’s now at 12,000 acres with zero containment; a red flag warning is in effect through Saturday. There are approximately 150 personnel assigned, including two hotshot crews, nine engines, two water tenders, two dozers, and four helicopters. Additional resources will be arriving throughout the day.
Pine Creek Fire Map 08/30/2012 @ 9 a.m.
Some residents have been allowed back to their homes. East River Road is closed from the north junction at highway 89 down to just south of Barney Creek. Pine Creek Road is also closed. Areas that are still closed to all residents are those that live on Deep Creek Road, Deep Creek Bench Road, and Deep Creek Road South Fork. The area from Pool Creek down south to Barney Creek is closed to all residents, and also along Pine Creek Road.
High temperatures and erratic winds have pushed the fires through drought-dry fuels. With nine large fires burning in Montana, officials said there was increasing competition for adequate equipment and personnel. “We are making do with what we can get,” said U.S. Forest Service information officer Karen Tuscano.
The Billings Gazette reported today that wind gusts of up to 40 mph pushed Montana fires through mixed timber and grasslands, prompting evacuations for residents south of Livingston and south of Roscoe.
The Pine Creek Fire south of Livingston is estimated at more than 2,500 acres. Evacuations have been ordered; the Park County Rural and Paradise Valley VFDs, along with resources from the USFS and Montana DNRC are responding. Several other fires in Montana are under red flag warnings for strong winds and low RH.
“We declared a state of emergency due to the severity of fire,” said Park County Commissioner Randy Taylor. “It has spread so fast over such a vast area threatening numerous structures. If it gets too much farther into the timber, there’s going to be no stopping it.”
KXLH News (fire photo alert) reported that the 19-Mile Fire near Whitehall has burned several structures; residents in the Toll Mountain area were evacuated. A DNRC spokesman, Greg Archie, said the fire burned between 1,000 and 3,000 acres in less than 24 hours. “Fire conditions are at their peak right now,” he said, “and things aren’t going to get any better today for sure.”
Fire crews are battling Montana wildfires as evacuations were ordered ahead of fires near Butte and Roscoe — fires that threatened at least 130 homes. High temps across much of the drought-parched state, along with gusty winds, have pushed fires through tinder-dry stands of timber and grasslands. The dangerous conditions prompted Montana’s Governor Brian Schweitzer to declare a statewide fire emergency.
The Helena Independent Record reported that most of this season’s fires have been in the eastern half of the state. Just like in the summer of 2007, serious smoke haze has clouded western Montana from fires in Idaho.
Delphia Fire, 08/25/2012
The Delphia Fire, east of Roundup, Montana, is about 90 percent contained at 40,653 acres. Heintz’s Type 2 team reports that crews will be out until midnight tonight and then resume a regular schedule tomorrow, focusing on mopup along suppression lines and patrolling for spot fires.
Air quality has deteriorated most significantly in Hamilton [note: downtown web cam, not useful at night MDT], where it’s been listed as “unhealthy” by state officials. In Butte, Helena, Great Falls, and Bozeman, officials downgraded the air quality to “unhealthy” for sensitive groups.
About 10 miles south of Butte, the 19 Mile Fire burned a couple of homes and outbuildings. Crews are expecting red flag warnings for high winds and low humidities; the fire today is at 3,000 acres, burning south of I-90 and north of Highway 2. Firefighters are working on structure protection in the Whiskey Gulch area. A Type 2 Incident Management Team (Stan Benes, IC) is transitioning with local resources and will assume management Thursday morning.
The fire’s threatening about 80 homes and evacuations were ordered for about 150 residents.
