Rain helps limit area fire growth
A week of cooler temperatures and increased moisture has helped fire crews get a handle on several fires in the area and although the situation is much improved from last month, an expected warming trend later this week will be the real test.
“We are expecting a slow warming trend through midweek, with continued chances for precipitation,” said Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team public information officer Carmen Thomason. “Thursday through Sunday will bring temperatures back into the mid to upper 80s, with things drying out. This warmer air will prove a good test to see if the fires become more active again or will continue to smolder. From Sunday into early next week, our incident meteorologist Patrick Gilchrist said there are indications that we could see another cool down, with increased chances for showers.”
The headway gained on the fires prompted the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office to lift the pre-evacuation orders stemming from the Klatawa fire Monday morning.
“The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office has canceled all pre-evacuation orders related to the Klatawa fire effective Monday, Sept. 7 at 10 a.m.,” Sheriff Roby Bowe wrote in a press release. “Cooler weather and rain, along with completion of contingency lines around the Klatawa fire, have lessened the concern for fire growth. After discussion with the Goat Rock Complex fire management team, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office is comfortable lifting all pre-evacuation notices related to the Klatawa fire.”
The order lifts notices for homes on Lower Granite Lake Road, Granite Creek Road, Willow Road, Prospect Creek Road, Winchester Drive and Granite Lake Road. It also includes all homes and businesses west of U.S. Highway 2 from Pearl Street south up to and including Bear Creek Road and all homes on Snowshoe Road south of Hogan Drive.
In addition to the nearly 4,700-acre Klatawa fire, the Rocky Mountain Red Team under the command of Chuck Russell is also responsible for management of the fires at Berray Mountain (3,982 acres), Vimy (43 acres), Chippewa (484 acres), Pine Ride (1 acre), Dad (70 acres) and Poplar Point (941 acres). The team is planning to assume command of three fires in the Clark Fork Complex Wednesday, upon the departure of the Type II team currently managing that complex. The Government, Napoleon and Sawtooth fires will be transferred to Russell’s team and joined with the Goat Rock Complex.
Russell’s team has been on-site in Libby for 14 days, the typical assignment length for a fire management team. Thomason said the team has been extended and will remain in Libby for the time being.
“An average fire assigment is 14 days and the Red Team has been in place for that length of time,” she said. “The team has been asked to extend and will remain in Libby and continue managing the Goat Rock Complex and additionally a few fires from the Clark Fork Complex.”
The team leaving the Clark Fork Complex is the second Type II team to leave the area in recent days. Last week a Type III team assumed command of the Northeast Kootenai Complex from Shawn Pearson’s Type II team, which had reached their 21-day maximum deployment.
The major fire in the Northeast Kootenai Complex near Eureka is the Marston fire, now estimated at roughly 7,000 acres. While containment on the eastern edge of the fire is lacking, the team said danger to homes and other structures has been reduced.
“Rained continued to fall yesterday on the Marston fire, with totals ranging from .6 to .7 inches across the area,” public information officer Cynthia Wolfe wrote Sunday. “The danger to houses has been reduced but the possibility for structures to be threatened remains if the weather warms and dries as the eastern flank has no containment lines. The large fuel moistures are still critically low. The fire behavior continues to show minimal creeping.
“The fire continues to slowly back toward indirect fire line, although very little movement is expected. Hand crews are limited in number and cannot safely use direct line construction on many portions of the Marston Fire due to steep, heavily timbered slopes and rock screes. The overall plan is to use mechanized fuel break on gentle terrain as an indirect line and blacken the edge as the main fire comes close. This will provide the safest way to protect structures, firefighting personnel, and the associated resources. A dry and cold air mass behind yesterday’s low pressure will continue the possibility of scattered rain showers. Conditions will start to warm and dry out under clearing skies by afternoon. Light winds return and the drier, warming conditions are expected to continue Monday.”
Fire authorities encourage area residents to stay in contact with Lincoln County Emergency Management and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office for complete and up-to-date information on any closures and evacuation notices.