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NEWS RELEASE |
Salmon Interagency Dispatch Upper Columbia - Salmon Clearwater District BLM Salmon - Challis National Forest Rural Route 2, Box 600
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For immediate release
Contact: Salmon-Challis Fire Information Center (208) 756-5283
Fire and Closure
Update – 24 August 2000, 8:00 AM
Yesterday Lightning fatally injured two firefighters, part of the Type II ‘Flame-N-Go’crew, working on the North Stansbury fire in Utah. Five other crewmembers received injuries.
The employees of and the Firefighters working on the Salmon-Challis National Forest as well as the entire fire community, wish to extend condolences to the family and friends of the crewmembers.
Picture
from Indian Creek Guard Station on 8/17 prior to the Frank-Church River of
Return Wilderness Closeure
Area /Road Closures
and Restrictions
Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness: The entire wilderness, including the Main Salmon River from Cache Bar to Carey Creek, and the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, is closed. All trails and all Forest Service landing strips are closed; private landing strips are not affected by this closure. River permit holders should contact the North Fork Ranger District to obtain a permit for the same date next year.
This closure is in
effect until the fire situation changes with a season-ending weather event.
This could occur as early as September or as late as October. It is prompted by safety concerns such as
extreme fire behavior (300-400 foot flame lengths), very limited access, debris
on trails, and thick smoke that would complicate search-and-rescue operations.
A Stage III Fire Restriction Order is in effect. It prohibits “setting, building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire of any kind, either open flame, smoldering, or any other heat source,” on the Salmon-Challis National Forest. It differs from the Stage II Fire Restriction implemented earlier this month only in that it prohibits all fires, not just those outside developed areas. The only exception is for stoves fueled by liquid petroleum or LPG fuels.
In addition to banning all fires, it prohibits smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building; operating motorized vehicles off designated roads and trails; operating a chainsaw, generator, or any other type of machine activated by a nonliving power source (except battery-powered devices) between 1:00 PM and 1:00
AM; and conducting blasting, welding, or other activities which generate flame or flammable material between 1:00 PM and 1:00 AM.
This restriction also applies to the Boise, Caribou, Payette, Sawtooth, and Targhee National Forests.
BLM: Open fires are prohibited on BLM-administered lands in the Salmon-Challis area.
Highway 93: The highway is open. The highway may be closed any time fire activity makes travel unsafe. Motorist are advised to call toll-free 800-226-ROAD (7623) for current status.
Yankee Fork Road (FS #013):
The road running north from Sunbeam at
Highway 75 closed. The closure includes
most of the Custer Motorway to Mill Creek Campground, about 14 miles from
Challis (Forest Roads #013 and #070).
The Mill Creek campground will remain open.
Forest Road #172: The road is
closed between the Yankee Fork Dredge and Loon Creek Guard Station. (It begins at the Yankee Fork Dredge,
travels up the Jordan Creek drainage to Loon Creek summit, and into the Loon
Creek drainage.) Call the Challis
Ranger District at 208-879-4321 for current road closure information.
Morse Creek Road (FS #094) is closed.
Morgan Creek Road (FS #055)
is closed at Morgan Creek Summit.
Silver Creek Road (FS#108)
is closed.
Custer Historical Park is closed
due to proximity to the Rankin Creek Fire.
Fires
Fire activity in Hughes Creek relates to Hughes Creek, Montana, not Hughes Creek,
Idaho.
Media
representatives are required to contact Salmon-Challis Fire Information at
1-208-756-5283 to arrange for escorts into fire areas. Media representatives must bring their own
boots for fireline visits. Boots must
be leather, lace-up type, and 8 inches in height.
Clear
Creek Fire
Acreage: 175,526 acres
Injuries: None
Percentage Contained: 36%
Estimated Date of Full Containment: Unknown
Resources: 1755 people, 16 helicopters, 66 engines, and 14 dozers.
Current Situation: The Clear Creek Fire grew to 175,526 acres, with the most active burning occurring on the south end and northeast corner. A burnout along Panther Creek planned for Wednesday night was postponed
because of erratic southwest winds coming in with a cold front. Today, the cold front is cause for a Red Flag Alert, which could be upgraded to a Red Flag Warning if winds increase.
If conditions permit, burnout will continue today along the section of Panther Creek Road from Cabin Creek to Silver Creek. The fire management objective is still to hold the fire west of Panther Creek. About 300 Marine firefighters will be mopping up hot spots left from the burnout conducted on Tuesday along Panther Creek Road. The Marines are also removing brush along both sides of the road. Actions to build a fuel break along the east side of the fire are still underway.
The Clear Creek
Incident team has established a new spike camp seven miles north of Challis on
Highway 93. Motorists are asked to be
cautious as they approach and leave the Challis area and to be alert for fire
traffic in the area. Fire information
is not available at the camp; however, it is available at the Challis-Middle
Fork Ranger District Office in Challis.
The Clear Creek Fire Camp thanks the Federal Emergency Management Administration from Virginia for loaning the Clear Creek Fire Camp a communications van to assist with radio and cell phone communications.
In addition to managing the Clear Creek Fire, Tom Hutchinson’s Incident Command Team has assumed management of the portion of the Aparejo Fire outside of the Frank Church—River of No Return Wilderness. This fire has been very active in the last few days, burning east to the head of Birdseye Creek. Structure protection is now in place in the Ramshorn Subdivision because of possible threats from this fire. Structure protection actions have also been completed at the mine and ranch facilities at Yellowjacket Mine. Preparations include limbing low branches on trees, removing brush near structures, covering windows, wood decks, and propane tanks with foil, and installing pumps and hoses near structures if they are needed. Similar preparations are planned for structures in Meyers Cove and Castle Creek should the fire move south. The Aparejo fire has burned 12,744 acres.
Rankin Creek Fire
Acreage: 6,710 acres
Injuries: None
Percentage Contained: 90%
Estimated Date of Full Containment: Unknown
Resources: 546 people, 17 engines, 3 dozers, 2 helicopters. The Challis and Stanley Volunteer Fire Departments are cooperating agencies.
Location: 25 air miles southwest of Challis
Current Situation: Yesterday the surface fire continued to back slowly down to Adair Creek with flare-ups, torching and short range spotting, progressing toward the Lucky Boy Mine area. There were still several hot areas above Ramey Creek on the side of the drainage, backing into the creek.
Today crews will again focus on completing the fire containment line on the east side of Yankee Fork Road. On the west side of the Yankee Fork Road crews are patrolling the fire, mopping up smoldering fuels, and beginning rehabilitation of the burned areas.
Morse Creek Fire
Acreage: 2800 acres Injuries: None
Percentage Contained: 11%
Estimated Date of Full Containment: Unknown
Resources: 70 people, 1 dozer, and 3 engines.
Location: Pahsimeroi Valley, Five miles east of May, Idaho.
Current Situation: Yesterday fire was actively burning west, backing down toward Tater Creek. Engine crews with portable pumps were in place to prevent it from crossing the creek and burning north. In parts of Cold Creek, hot spots are burning out and cooling down.
Wilderness
Fires
Acreage: 103,400 acres
Location: Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness
Percentage Contained: 0%
Estimated Date of Full Containment: Unknown
Resources: 22 people, 1 engine
Injuries: One
Current Situation: Smoky conditions on the fire yesterday continued to limit visibility. The Pistol Creek Fire again spread east putting the fire close to the Pistol Creek Ranch.
Most private resorts along the Middle Fork and Main Salmon River are unoccupied. Structural protection is in place at several locations including Salmon River Lodge, Stubb Creek, Gattin Ranch, Bernard Creek Guard Station, Mormon Ranch, and Flying B Ranch.
Pictures of Bridge at Flying B Damaged during the firestorm
on the middle fork Friday August 18.
Marlin Springs Fire
Acreage: 1000 acres Injuries: None
Percentage Contained: 0 Estimated Date of Full Containment: Unknown
Location: Northwest of Indianola at the head of Squaw Creek (about 13 miles northwest of North Fork)
Resources: A Type I team has been ordered and is
expected sometime today.
Current Situation: Tuesday the fire expanded slightly to the southwest and fire behavior was moderate. No new information was available today.
Other Important Information
For detailed information about the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, call 208-879-4101.
For detailed information on the Main Salmon River, call 208-865-2700 during weekday office hours.
For information on hunting permits in the fire area, contact Idaho Fish and Game at 208-756-2271.
Clear Creek Fire updates will be distributed as information becomes available.
Fire maps are available at the Salmon-Challis National Forest office on Highway 93 south of Salmon. For more fire information please call 208-756-5283 or log on to the Salmon-Challis National Forest special fire website at www.fs.fed.us/r4/sc/fire2000.
Smoke Information
Today Salmon is expected to have
excessive smoke and particulate concentrations through the afternoon.
Common Sense Measures to Protect Your Health in a
Smoky Environment
Stay inside.
Avoid strenuous outdoor exercise.
Drink lots of fluids.
Cover the air conditioner with a filter.
When using a fan, keep the windows closed so that the fan does not circulate smoky air.
The Idaho
Department of Environmental Quality has installed equipment in Salmon to
monitor air quality. They will issue
current advisories on health hazards related to smoke, and recommended actions
to protect your health. For more
information, call Glenn Hugunin at 756-2122 from 8 AM to 5 PM.
Fire Prevention
A burn ban is in effect for the City of Salmon. It applies to open burning, burn barrels, and patio fireplaces. Similar restrictions are being considered for the county. Assistant Fire Chief Mike Warner urges county residents to refrain from any open burning. Extra care should be taken with cutting and welding.
Home fire safety: There are many preventive measures you may take to help improve your home’s chance of surviving a wildfire. Some of these are:
Keep roofs and gutters free from leaves, pine needles, and other flammable debris.
As much as possible, remove large, thick shrubbery around structures for a minimum of 30 feet. Clear spaces between trees and shrubs to reduce fire spread. Crowns of trees and shrubs should be 15 feet apart. Remove lower branches on trees to 8 feet or 1/3 the height of smaller trees. Landscape with shrubbery that is fire resistant and well watered. Plants such as junipers, pines and gambel oak are extremely combustible and should be removed, pruned or thinned. Maintain a landscape free from dead or dying grass or plants.
Fire Facts
The total suppression cost of the Clear Creek, Rankin, Morse and Butts Fires is estimated at almost $43,500,000 as of yesterday.
As of August 23rd in Idaho 1,150 fires have burned an estimated 1,043,934 acres.