All posts by nfpa

Canadian fire season may preview Montana’s

Fire Information and Status, News, ,

Canada’s wildfire situation may be a preview of Montana’s . . .

As Montana holds Little League tryouts for the 2015 wildfire season, Canada is showing the planet how to really burn a summer.

Alberta authorities were battling 116 fires by the end of last week, including 46 reported as “out of control,” according to provincial officials.

At British Columbia’s Vancouver Island, a 50-acre fire near Nanaimo forced the evacuation of 12 homes Thursday. Island Timberlands, Vancouver Island’s major private timber company, closed public access to many of its roads on the east side of the island because of the fire danger.

Read more . . .

Glacier Rim Fire winding down

Fire Information and Status, News,

Looks like the Glacier Rim Fire is winding down . . .

Crews continue to mop up the Glacier Rim Fire west of Glacier National Park. The fire is listed at 82 acres and is burning in the old Robert Fire burn of 2003 in downed timber and brush.

The fire has seen no growth in the past several days and spot fires in Glacier National Park have been put out as well. The fire continues to burn inside the perimeter, however and is listed at 50 percent contained. Because of snag danger, the interior fire is being allowed to burn, with helicopter drops on hot spots to stop any spreading.

Read more . . .

‘Red Flag’ fire weather warning posted for 4th of July

Fire Information and Status, News,

Due to expected gusty winds and very low humidities, the National Weather Service posted a “Red Flag” fire weather warning for the 4th of July. It runs from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm. Here is the official bulletin:

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
107 PM MDT FRI JUL 3 2015

MTZ105-107-108-040715-
/O.UPG.KMSO.FW.A.0001.150704T1200Z-150705T0300Z/
/O.NEW.KMSO.FW.W.0001.150704T1200Z-150705T0300Z/
FLATHEAD/GLACIER PARK-SALISH AND KOOTENAI RESERVATION-EAST LOLO-
107 PM MDT FRI JUL 3 2015

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM TO 9 PM MDT SATURDAY FOR
GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES ACROSS THE FLATHEAD/GLACIER PARK...
SALISH AND KOOTENAI RESERVATION...EAST LOLO...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MISSOULA HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES...WHICH IS IN EFFECT
FROM 6 AM TO 9 PM MDT SATURDAY. THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO
LONGER IN EFFECT.

* WINDS: SUSTAINED WESTERLY WINDS OF 15 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO
  40 MPH POSSIBLE.

* MINIMUM HUMIDITIES: SINGLE DIGITS TO LOW TEENS

* TIMING: WINDS WILL BEGIN TO INCREASE ACROSS NORTHWEST MONTANA
  SATURDAY MORNING AROUND SUNRISE... AND THEN SPREAD THROUGH THE
  REMAINDER OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA BY EARLY
  AFTERNOON.

* A DRAMATIC WIND SHIFT FROM WESTERLY TO EASTERLY WILL OCCUR
  SOMETIME AFTER ROUGHLY 1900LT ACROSS THE GLACIER PARK AREA ON
  SATURDAY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY. A COMBINATION OF
STRONG WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL
CREATE EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL.

No fireworks for the 4th

News, ,

As expected, Flathead County has banned all fireworks displays, public and private, due to exceptionally dry conditions . . .

Flathead County has banned the use of fireworks on all public and private land located within the county’s boundaries, outside of the city limits, effective immediately.

The commission took a hard stand against fireworks on Thursday morning, removing any exemptions for previously permitted shows in the county’s jurisdiction.

With the use of fireworks banned, the Flathead Emergency Communication Center, also known as the 911 Center, has set up a separate line to report non-emergency fireworks violations.The number to that line is 260-4161, and it feeds directly into the dispatch center. Emergencies such as injuries or fires should be reported to 911. There is no automatic fine assessed for violations, according to deputy county attorney Tara Fugina; the resolution states that violations may be prosecuted under applicable statutes.

Read more . . .

U.S. Forest Service: Glacier Rim Fire Update 7/2/15

Fire Information and Status, News,

Here is the official Thursday evening report on the status of the Glacier Rim Fire:

Release Date: Jul 2, 2015

The Glacier Rim Fire is burning on the Glacier View Ranger District, in the Flathead National Forest and Glacier National Park. This fire is being managed with full suppression tactics, with fire fighter and public safety as a priority.

Fire Summary:
Location: North of Columbia Falls, MT, approximately 11.5 miles up the North Fork Road, in the vicinity of Glacier Rim.

Detected: June 27, 2015 Cause: Human caused
Legal Description: SE, Section 27, T32N, R20W; Lat/Long: Lat. 48° 30’ 9” North, Long. 114° 8’ 39”
Current size: 85 acres; Containment: 45%

Current Status: The Glacier Rim Fire started on June 27, 2015. The fire is burning in the old 2003 Robert Fire burned area. The fuels are mixed heavy dead timber and brush, with significant snag hazard. The fire is primarily located west of the North Fork Road, though it did spot across the North Fork River into Glacier National Park.

Yesterday, Wednesday July 1, the fire continued to burn hot within the interior of the established perimeter. Fire lines built during the previous days were reinforced. Sprinklers were set up in multiple locations including in the steep northern edge of the fire to maintain the perimeter of the fire. The helicopters continued cooling hot spots along the fire line. All known spot fires within Glacier National Park are dead out. Firefighter efforts are challenged due to safety concerns involving danger of large snags originally burned in the Robert Fire of 2003.

Today, Thursday July 2, firefighters will continue to reinforce fire lines. Water pumps and sprinkler systems will be used to cool the edges of the fire and mop up. Helicopters will continue to work hotspots and areas that flare up. Some resources are being released from the fire. The temperatures and wind speeds are expected to increase on the fire.

Unseasonably warm weather and extremely dry fuel conditions are driving fire behavior in these previously burned fuels. Two residences directly adjacent to the fire voluntarily chose to leave. No evacuation orders have been issued by the county.

The following resources are assigned to the fire: two 20-person fire crews and several other smaller modules of firefighters, four engines, water tenders, three helicopters, a mix of heavy equipment including a dozer, a feller-buncher, and an excavator, a local type 3 Incident Management Team composed of Flathead National Forest, Glacier National Park, Flathead County, and MT State Department of Natural Resources, for a total of 85 personnel.

SPECIAL MESSSAGE: Stage 1 Fire restrictions will go into effect for all of Northwest Montana on Friday, July 3, 2015.

FOR YOUR SAFETY AND THE FIREFIGHTERS SAFETY DO NOT STOP IF YOU ARE TRAVELING IN THE FIRE AREA. Vehicles driving on the North Fork Road are asked to not stop in the fire area. River floaters on the river are asked to not stop in the fire area. Helicopters are working over head to shuttle fire fighters to the fire as well as performing water drops. The helicopters cannot fly overhead if people are stopped below.
Fire Information: (406) 387-3867
Email: glacierrimfire@gmail.com
Web: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4336

U.S. Forest Service: Glacier Rim Fire Update 7/1/15

Fire Information and Status, News,

Here is the official Wednesday evening report on the status of the Glacier Rim Fire:

Release Date: Jul 1, 2015

The Glacier Rim Fire is burning on the Glacier View Ranger District, in the Flathead National Forest and Glacier National Park. This fire is being managed with full suppression tactics, with fire fighter and public safety as a priority.

Fire Summary:
Location: North of Columbia Falls, MT approximately 11.5 miles up the North Fork Road in the vicinity of Glacier Rim.

Detected: June 27, 2015  Cause: Human caused, under investigation.

Legal Description: SE, Section 27,T32N, R20W; Lat/Long: Lat. 48 30′ 9″ North, Long. 114 8′ 39″

Current Size: 85 acres  Containment: 35%

Current Status: The Glacier Rim Fire started on June 27, 2015, at approximately 1 p.m. The fire is burning in the old 2003 Robert Fire burned area. The fuels are mixed heavy dead timber and brush, with significant snag hazard. The fire is primarily located west of the North Fork Road, though it has spotted across the North Fork River in to Glacier National Park.

Yesterday, Tuesday June 30, firefighters continued to build line around the fire and reinforce already established lines. Firefighters continued to work towards total line containment with helicopters and heavy equipment assistance. The spot fires within the park were mopped up and rehabbed by the crew working there.

Today, Wednesday July 1, the fire continues to burn hot within the interior of the established perimeter. A small area on the north edge of the fire within Canyon Creek is still not contained due to steep terrain and heavy timber; the efforts today include setting up sprinklers along the north edge of fire and cooling the hot spots within the interior of the fire with helicopters. Now that the spot fires within Glacier National Park are dead out, firefighters are being pulled later this evening and reassigned to the main fire. Firefighter efforts are challenged due to safety concerns involving extreme danger of large snags and falling dead trees originally burned in the Robert Fire of 2003.

Unseasonably warm weather and extremely dry fuel conditions are driving fire behavior in these previously burned fuels. Two residences directly adjacent to the fire voluntarily chose to leave. No evacuation orders have been issued by the county.

The following resources are assigned to the fire: three 20-person fire crews and several other smaller modules of firefighters, two engines, three water tenders, three helicopters, a mix of heavy equipment including a dozer, two feller-bunchers, a grappel skidder and an excavator, two jet boats to facilitate floater safety on the river, a local type 3 Incident Management Team composed of Flathead National Forest, Glacier National Park, Flathead County, and MT State Department of Natural Resources, for a total of 120 total personnel.

SPECIAL MESSSAGE: Stage 1 Fire restrictions will go into effect for all of Northwest Montana on Friday, July 3, 2015. FOR YOUR SAFETY AND FIREFIGHTER SAFETY DO NOT STOP IF YOU ARE TRAVELING IN THE FIRE AREA. Vehicles on driving on the North Fork Road are asked to not stop in the fire area. River floaters on the river are asked to not stop in the fire area. Helicopters are working over head to shuttle fire fighters to the fire as well as performing water drops. The helicopters cannot fly overhead if people are stopped below.

Fire Information: 406/387-3867
Email: glacierrimfire@gmail.com
Web: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4336

Stage 1 fire restrictions now in effect

Fire Information and Status, News,

Stage 1 fire restrictions are now in effect throughout the region. Here’s the meat of the press release. Read the full text over at the NF News site . . .

Conditions are right for wildland fires.

As a precaution, Stage 1 fire restrictions will go into effect in Flathead, Lake, Lincoln, and Sanders Counties at 0001 a.m. on Friday the 3rd of July 2015. This includes all private, state, and federally (Forest Service, Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service) managed lands in these counties. Fire Restrictions also go into effect on the Bob Marshall Wilderness lands within the Flathead National Forest. Completely contained wood stoves with a fire screen or spark arrester are allowed ONLY in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, instead of campfires.

Under Stage 1, fires are prohibited except within developed recreation sites (contact your local agency for a list of sites), and smoking is allowed only in areas cleared of flammable materials. Exemptions include fires fueled solely by liquid petroleum or LPG, or other activities for which there is a permit or written authorization.

Continue reading at NF News . . .

Glacier Rim Fire grows slightly; fire crews making good progress

Fire Information and Status, News,

The Glacier Rim Fire showed little growth yesterday, with good progress being made on containment . . .

The Glacier Rim fire put up some impressive flares, but only grew by five acres Tuesday.

The human-caused fire 11.5 miles north of Columbia Falls has burned about 85 acres between the North Fork Road and the North Fork of the Flathead River along Glacier National Park’s western boundary.

A crew of 115 firefighters has got it about 30 percent contained.

Fire spokeswoman Sonja Hartmann said as the blaze worked through forests already torched in the 2003 Roberts fire, it occasionally hit piles of toppled trees and sent up impressive flames.

Read more . . .

See also: Firefighters have line around Glacier Rim fire; Stage 1 restrictions now in effect (Hungry Horse News)

U.S. Forest Service: Glacier Rim Fire Update 6/30/15

Fire Information and Status, News,

Here is the official Tuesday evening report on the status of the Glacier Rim Fire:

Release Date: Jun 30, 2015

Fire Information – Glacier Rim Fire Tuesday, June 30, 2015 9:00 AM; Flathead National Forest

Fire Information: (406) 387-3867

Email: glacierrimfire@gmail.com

Web: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4336

The Glacier Rim Fire is burning on the Glacier View Ranger District, in the Flathead National Forest and Glacier National Park. This fire is being managed with full suppression tactics, with fire fighter and public safety as a priority.

Fire Summary:
Location: North of Columbia Falls, MT, approximately 11.5 miles up the North Fork Road, in the vicinity of Glacier Rim.

Detected: June 27, 2015 Cause: Human caused, under investigation

Legal Description: SE, Section 27, T32N, R20W; Lat/Long: Lat. 48° 30’ 9” North, Long. 114° 8’ 39”

Current size: 85 acres; Containment: 30%

Current Status: The Glacier Rim fire started on June 27, 2015, at approximately 1 p.m. The fire is believed to be human caused and is under investigation. The fire is burning in the old 2003 Robert Fire burned area. The fuels are mixed heavy dead timber and brush, with significant snag hazard. The fire is primarily located west of the North Fork Road, though it has spotted across the North Fork River in to Glacier National Park.

Today, Tuesday June 30, fire fighters will continue to build line around the fire and reinforce already established lines. The north edge of the fire within Canyon Creek is still not contained due to steep terrain and heavy timber. Firefighters will continue to work towards total line containment with helicopters and heavy equipment assistance. Crews will continue within the park to control any spot fires. Firefighter efforts are challenged due to safety concerns involving extreme danger of falling dead trees originally burned in the Robert Fire of 2003.

Yesterday, Monday June 29th worked to build line around the fire but were unable to reach the steep north flank. They were able to make substantial progress due to higher humidity and calm winds. A fire fighter lookout spotted a hot spot within the Glacier Park and the crews within the park were able to work on it immediately. Firefighters continued the same tactics of using heavy equipment and hand crews to build fire line, with helicopters assisting. Unseasonably warm weather and extremely dry fuel conditions are driving fire behavior in these previously burned fuels. Two residences directly adjacent to the fire voluntarily chose to leave. No evacuation orders have been issued by the county. Two Bear helicopter ran their infrared camera last evening to detect any potential hot spots. They found that the interior of the fire still continues to generate intense heat, but no new spots were detected.

The following resources are assigned to the fire: three 20-person fire crews and several other smaller modules of firefighters, two engines, two water tenders, two helicopters, a mix of heavy equipment including a dozer, two feller-bunchers, a grappel skidder and an excavator, two jet boats to facilitate floater safety on the river, a local type 3 Incident Management Team composed of Flathead National Forest, Glacier National Park, Flathead County, and MT State Department of Natural Resources, for a total of 115 total personnel.

SPECIAL MESSSAGE: FOR YOUR SAFETY AND FIREFIGHTER SAFETY, DO NOT STOP IF YOU ARE TRAVELING IN THE FIRE AREA. Vehicles on driving on the North Fork Road are asked to not stop in the fire area. River floaters on the river are asked to not stop in the fire area. Helicopters are working over head to shuttle fire fighters to the fire as well as performing water drops. The helicopters cannot fly overhead if people are stopped below.