Porcupine fire 75 percent contained; focus moves to Davis

With the Porcupine fire 75 percent contained, the Northern Rockies Incident Management Team and U.S. Forest Service are transitioning to focus on the Davis fire, a spokesperson said.

The Davis fire was last estimated at 375 acres on Sunday, with most growth on the west side of the fire, said Jill Cobb, a public information officer for the two fires.

According to a Sunday update, hand crews and heavy equipment are constructing firelines along the north, east, south and southwest sides of the fire.

The area closure around the Davis fire remains in effect, and Forest Road 338 beyond the Beetle Creek Road is closed to the public for firefighter and public safety.

Cobb said that the Porcupine fire reached 17 acres.

The location and environment of the Porcupine fire made it more of an immediate concern, so the initial focus was there, she said.

On Saturday, firefighters increased containment of the Porcupine fire from 60 to 75 percent, and crews are continuing to strengthen the firelines as well as searching for hot spots within the fireline.

“The Davis is the one we’re really focusing on now, because it’s the largest of the two,” Cobb said Sunday. “The biggest worry when we took over the fire was the Porcupine fire.”

The concern with the Porcupine fire was the location on the slopes, the fuels around it and the wind direction, Cobb said. There was the potential for it to burn quickly and threaten private property more so than the Davis fire.

“Often times in fire management, you find that it’s the little ones that might not grab your attention right away, those are the ones that can sometimes cause you the most problems,” she said.

Resources are limited nationwide for wildfire response, and handling the fires takes careful planning in addition to skill, she said.

The public has been understanding of the efforts of the firefighters and the logistical limitations they deal with, Cobb said. Especially in the Yaak, were people have put signs out thanking the firefighters.