Cool, wet conditions reduce fire activity

Cool weather and rain helped tamp down fire activity over the weekend allowing firefighters to increase their containment of the South Yaak Fire.

Fire managers expect warm conditions to return on Tuesday but said it would take five more days of heat and dry weather before fire activity increased. In the meantime, dense understory vegetation continues to smolder.

The South Yaak Fire was burning at 12,522 acres with 62 percent containment on Aug. 23, according to a statement from fire managers. Officials had three crews, two helicopters, nine engines and 18 pieces of heavy equipment and 224 personnel on the fire. Since Aug. 20 the fire expanded roughly 1,000 acres, but firefighters were able to increase containment by 16 percent.

Crews bolstered containment of the fire on Aug. 22 by building a direct lines in the North Fork of O’Brien Creek and on the northwest section of the fire. Firefighters repaired three segments of interior dozer line and created a secondary line by installing fuel breaks along decommissioned roads in the Arbo Creek drainage.

Near the northeast edge of the blaze, crews were cutting and piling brush and began building a hand line adjacent to Prospect Gunsight Trail headed to Skyline Ridge and Arbo Mountain. Firefighters also will build line towards Arbo Mountain from the Arbo Creek and Wee Lake.

Crews are using chippers to clean slash near Kilbrennan Lake Road. Firefighters will continue to repair a dozer line on the western edge of the fire near the Yaak Lookout.

The Burnt Peak Fire remained at 4,066 acres with 29 percent containment over the weekend, according to fire managers. As of Aug. 23, officials had 162 personnel, three crews, two helicopters, four engines and 16 pieces of heavy equipment on the blaze.

Firefighters have begun repairing suppression lines and using an excavator to install drainage features in a dozer line in Benning Creek. Officials expect to build water bars into interior hand lines to address water flow and erosion.

Crews will use masticators to clean up smaller fuels and expand breaks on the Keeler-Rattle Road in the Halverson drainage. Feller bunchers will use hot saws to build shaded fuel breaks in Surprise Draw and Carr Draw on the northeast section of the fire.

Residents living near the Burnt Peak and South Yaak fires are no longer under pre-evacuation warnings.

Fire managers have set up daily coronavirus screenings and masking and social distancing protocols at the incident command post.