Incident Publication

PACK TRAIL FIRE

Friday, October 25, 2024 Update
Fire Information Phone: 307-395-2351      8am-8pm   

Email: 2024.Packtrail@firenet.gov

Total Acres: 89,921           Confined: 70%     Total Personnel: 631     

Operations – On the north side of the Pack Trail Fire, crews continue to complete fire suppression repair where there is little fire activity.  Cold trailing continues along the fire edge as safety hazards allow. On the east flank, crews continue to break down structure protection equipment along Highway 26. Firefighters will assess and improve confinement lines along the 540 Road and the Lava Burn Scar connecting to natural features on Lava Mountain. On the southwestern flank, crews continue to secure the fire’s edge, cold trailing from Park Creek west toward Bacon Creek and Bang Creek. The precipitation and cold temperatures continue to aid suppression efforts on the fire.  Helicopters are being utilized in the backcountry to backhaul unnecessary equipment and supplies.  

Safety – Despite the recent precipitation, Teton Interagency Fire Managers are maintaining the Very High Fire Danger Rating for Grand Teton National Park, the Bridger-Teton National Forest, the Shoshone National Forest, and the National Elk Refuge. This precipitation was not a fire season-ending event. Due to wind, fuels will begin to rapidly dry out when the snow melts. Residents and visitors are reminded to exercise extreme caution when dealing with fires or other possible ignition sources.

Please use caution while driving in these areas, especially on narrow secondary roads. Always expect to encounter fire vehicles and heavy equipment in and around the fire area. Check with WY-DOT for possible closures due to fire activity, especially if you are planning to travel on US-26 across the Continental Divide. Closures are not expected, but with active fire in the area checking status before travel is recommended.

“If you fly, we can’t.” Remember that flying a personal drone over a fire area during a temporary flight restriction is illegal and can be an extremely dangerous threat to both our aviators and firefighters on the ground.

Weather—Today will be mostly cloudy, with temperatures of 47-52 degrees and minimum relative humidities of 20-25%. Winds from the south to southwest will be 4-9 MPH with gusts up to 16 MPH. High pressure will return to the area for the weekend, and with that, we will have clear skies and lower humidities. Snow and rain showers are predicted for the early part of next week. To learn more about air quality, visit Fire.AirNow.Gov.

Evacuations – Evacuation areas have been reduced to a Level 1 “Ready” status for the Union Pass subdivision, Lava Mountain Lodge, Triangle C Ranch, and Old Mackenzie Ranch.  All other evacuation areas have been rescinded.  See the Fremont County Emergency Management Facebook Page for alerts and updates. See the Teton County Emergency Management website updates and to sign up for emergency alerts through Everbridge.

Road Closures – The Union Pass Road is closed on the Pinedale Ranger District (BTNF) from Mosquito Lake to the Moon Lake Road on the Wind River District (SHO). Moon Lake Road is also closed.

Forest Closures - Closure Order #04-03-24-317 is in effect from October 14, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. through November 15, 2024 at 12:00 a.m. unless rescinded. This order supersedes previous orders, including #04-03-24-316, prohibiting the same or similar acts in the same described area.

For more information, visit: Facebook: USDA Forest Service - Bridger-Teton National Forest, USDA Forest Service - Shoshone National Forest  Pack Trail Inciweb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/wybtf-pack-trail-fire 

Elk Fire Update

Friday, October 25, 2024 - 9:00 a.m.

Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 1

Dan Dallas, Incident Commander

Special Notes: Given firefighter progress made on suppressing fire activity, predicted future weather, fuel moistures, and lateness of the season, it is unlikely the Elk Fire will grow significantly. The small increase in acres yesterday is due to more accurate mapping. Over the next few days, fire managers will begin taking steps to align the firefighting workforce with expected fire behavior and the remaining work. This will include releasing some resources and transitioning to local leadership while ensuring continuity of objectives and actions.   

A community meeting is planned for 6 p.m. Monday, October 28th, at the Sheridan Junior High School, located at 500 Lewis Street. The meeting will be recorded and posted to Facebook and virtual connection will be available through Facebook live streaming at: https://www.facebook.com/bighornnf.

Current Situation: Yesterday, lower elevations received up to ¼ inch of rain while higher elevations received 1-3 inches of snow. These moist conditions resulted in slick and muddy roads, presenting an increased hazard to firefighters. Despite road conditions, firefighters made progress increasing containment as fire activity continued to be minimal. On contained fireline, suppression repair operations were completed on the north side and additional progress was made on east side dozer lines. Heavy equipment operations also continued strengthening indirect firelines.

Today will begin a warming and drying trend expected to last through Sunday, allowing for accelerated progress as roads dry out and the possibility for increased fire activity. Several recent precipitation events across the fire over the last week have kept fire activity low as fine fuel (pine needles and grass) moistures were high. With predicted weather, these fine fuels will dry out, allowing fire activity to pick up slightly. Smoldering and creeping is also likely in heavy fuels (trees and logs) where moisture levels are low and heat has been retained. Firefighters will continue to focus on suppression repair supported with heavy equipment across several divisions while also securing uncontained firelines. 

Division A: This division remains unstaffed and aircraft are observing fire activity. No change in tactics will occur today.   

Divisions Z, P, M, K, I: Suppression repair work was completed in Divisions Z and P allowing heavy equipment resources to be assigned to other sections of the fire. Divisions M and P were combined with the bulk of work remaining on the eastern edge on the southern end of Division M through Division I. Slick roads prevented access in some areas although work will resume as roads dry out. Actions of the last several days, reducing suppression related impacts to natural resources, will continue today.      

Division H: Heavy equipment continued with shaded fuel break development along the Red Grade Road and Forest Road 26 yesterday, and this work will be ongoing today.   

Divisions D, F: Firefighters were focused on suppression repair, which included rehabilitating dozer lines in proximity to the Burgess Work Center and Hay Creek, and chipping previously cut vegetation along firelines. Indirect line construction on Forest Road 15 continued. Today, work will be unchanged. 

Weather, Fuels, and Fire Behavior: Across the fire area, temperatures will rise more than 10 degrees from yesterday and will be in the upper 40s at higher elevations and range from 65-75 degrees in lower elevations. Humidity will be in the 30-40% range and winds will be light. Fire activity will be minimal with some smoldering, but generally struggling to burn due to retained moisture from yesterday’s precipitation.    

Evacuation Notices: A Ready Evacuation status exists for several areas in proximity to the Elk Fire. For additional information about evacuation status, go to Johnson County and Sheridan County respective websites: Johnson County Emergency Management’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/JohnsonCoWYEMC and Sheridan County Emergency Management website www.tinyurl.com/2s38bcc5. You may also contact Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office (307-672-3455) or Sheridan County Emergency Management (307-752-2174).

Closures and Advisories: A Temporary Flight Restriction is in place over the Elk Fire. Wildfires are a no-fly zone for unauthorized aircraft, including drones. If you fly, we can’t.  For more information, visit http://knowbeforeyoufly.org.

US Highway 14 between Burgess Junction and Dayton is open, restrictions are in place for some commercial vehicles based on weight and size. Red Grade Road and County Road 89 from Dayton to Beckton Junction are closed. County Road 335 is closed from the intersection of County Road 335 and Brinton Road to the west. Additional information may be obtained at https://www.wyoroad.info/.

Bighorn National Forest closure Order No. 02-02-06-24-08 remains in effect. The order and map can be viewed here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/bighorn/alerts-notices .

Elk Fire Statistics:

Size: 96,935 acres   |   Containment: 58%   |   Total Personnel: 458 |   Location: West of Sheridan, WY

Reported: September 27, 2024   |   Cause: lightning

###

Evergreen Forest Fire Update

Friday, October 25, 2024

MNICS Team C - Incident Commander-Mike Hill transitioning to MN DNR Incident Commander-Randy West

Inciweb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/mnmns-evergreen- forest

Email: 2024.evergreenforest@firenet.gov

Fire Quick Facts

Size: 167 acres         Containment: 90%

Location: Pine City, MN                

Cause: Under investigation

Resources: 1 crew, 3 engines, & 6 tracked vehicles 

Start Date: 10/17/2024    Total Personnel: 47

Command of the fire transitions back to the MN DNR today. Next Update will be next week. 

Current Status: Today at noon, command of the fire will transition back to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Firefighting resources have mopped up 150 feet from the fire’s perimeter and will continue to hold, secure, and reinforce containment lines. The fire is smoldering in timber, logging slash, brush and leaf litter. Firefighters are monitoring leaf drop for potential spotting across containment lines. Firefighter and public safety remain the main priorities for the incident. 

Closures: An Emergency Closure Order for all recreation activity remains in effect through the weekend and likely longer to ensure public safety and support firefighting operations. The closure area includes the Chengwatana State Forest Road. Closure information is available on the Inciweb and MNICS website: https://mnics.org/wpress/dnr-temporarily-closing-a- portion-of-chengwatana-state-forest-due-to-wildfire/. 

Planned Actions: Resources will continue to hold and secure containment lines. Firefighters will continue mop up along the fire’s perimeter, working inward. Resources will monitor and suppress new hot spots or areas of concern from newly fallen leaf litter. Tracked equipment is being used to traverse the difficult terrain. 

Background: The Evergreen Forest Fire was reported on October 17, 2024, on the Chengwatana State Forest, 10 miles east of Pine City, MN. The fire is burning actively in hardwood timber with leaf litter, on Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) managed land. 

Fire Weather Forecast & Air Quality Info: Today, a chance of sprinkles after 1pm, then mostly sunny. High of 56. Breezy, northwest wind 5-9 mph, with gusts up to 21 mph. Tonight-A chance of sprinkles before 1am, otherwise partly cloudy with a low of 28. Northwest wind 5-6 mph, becoming light. Tomorrow-Sunny. High of 50. Winds from the southwest will change to the south 5-10 mph, with gusts up to 15 mph.  Air quality is forecasted for “good” for Friday and Saturday. https://www.pca.state.mn.us/air- water-land-climate/air-quality-forecast

Air Operations: Aircraft are available and may be brought in to help support firefighting efforts. A reminder - flying drones over the fire is prohibited. If drones are detected near the fire, any air operations supporting the fire will stop. All media requests, including video, must be coordinate through the Incident Contact listed on the Inciweb page. 

Cooperating Agencies: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, Pine County Sheriff’s Department, Pine County Emergency Management, Pine City Fire Department, and Chengwatana Township. 

Pile burning operations will continue today on the Superior Ranger District 7 miles southeast of Superior in the Pierson Creek drainage. Fire managers will burn up to 20 acres of landing piles. The piles are a result from previous management operations on the Lost Creek Timber Sale.  Smoke may be visible from Superior.

More information on prescribed fire: https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/lolo/fire.

Red Rock Fire  

Operations:   

Due to weather on Wednesday night, crews were unable to access the north and east sides of the fire. A grader was able to clear the snow on the Ridge Road to William’s Creek Summit allowing it to dry out. Today, with improved road conditions and better weather, crews can continue backhauling pumps and hoses used for suppression, mop-up, and point protection of values. Excavators will be assisting other equipment in making repairs around the Ridge Road. Additional dozer line repairs are ongoing in the Yellowjacket area. Road graders are also addressing the impacts of increased travel and heavy equipment along Morgan/Panther Creek Road through the fire’s center.

Garden Fire  

Operations:   

Air resources will remove the remaining RAWS (Remote Automated Weather Station) and communication equipment from the Garden Fire area.  This will be the final daily update for the Garden Fire unless there are significant changes.

Additional Information 

Featured Information:

Weather changes have significantly reduced fire activity, prompting a shift in suppression strategy for the Red Rock and Garden Fires to a mix of containment and confinement tactics. This approach involves actions both directly adjacent to the fire perimeter and further away, including full suppression, confinement to predetermined natural barriers, and the protection of values such as private property and infrastructure. This combination of tactics enables fire managers to effectively address the 321 miles of fire perimeter for the Red Rock and Garden Fires. 

Containment means that control lines have been constructed around the fire, and once completed, they are expected to effectively stop its spread. Confinement utilizes natural geographic features—such as rock bands, ridges, burn scars, or changes in fuel types—that are anticipated to contain any fire growth. Both strategies are represented as percentages, which, when combined, will indicate overall “completion.” Moving forward, the Red Rock and Garden Fires will be reported as a percentage of completion. The priority remains on protecting values and ensuring the safety of both firefighters and the public. 

Weather: Today will be warm and sunny before a cold front arrives this weekend, bringing gusty winds of up to 25 mph at ridgetops, dropping temperatures below freezing, and bringing snow to higher elevations. High humidity will help keep fire activity to a minimum.

Closures: The Red Rock Closure Order, Number: 04-13-24-027 remains in effect. For more info:  https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/scnf/alerts-notices.  Please adhere to closure orders, this remains an active fire area. It is important for both the safety of the public and the firefighters working in the area. Barricade closures will be posted at road intersections and forest boundaries. In coordination with the Lemhi County Sheriff's Office and the Salmon-Challis National Forest, residents of Yellowjacket and Panther Creek can use the road to access their property, checking in with the road guard.   

Evacuations: All evacuation zones for the Red Rock and Garden Fires have been lifted. 

Garden and Red Rock Fire Map October 25

Fri, 10/25/2024 - 10:07

---

Garden and Red Rock Fire Map October 25

Wildland Fire Retardant Clean-Up Hints

When it lands on people:

• Wildland Fire Retardant contains ammonia and will sting if it gets into cuts or scratches or comes into contact with chapped or sunburned skin.

• Wash thoroughly with a gentle soap and water to remove all residues as many of the fire chemicals are drying to the skin.

• After washing use a good quality hand cream to minimize drying and chapping.

When it lands on structures:

• Wash retardant off as soon as possible. Retardant solutions are also thickened so that the liquid will accumulate on the fuel rather than falling past the fuel onto the soil.

• Retardant solutions will generally be easy to remove from smooth surfaces. Use of a garden hose to wet the surface followed by scrubbing would be expected to clean the surface. If the retardant solution has dried and is present for several days in the hot sunshine some discoloration could result.

• Some products may discolor metal. This can arise either by corroding or cleansing the surface of metal oxides that form over a period of time subjected to weather. Corrosion generally occurs over a prolonged period. Removal of oxide films can be rather quick. Unless removed from painted surfaces before the retardant dries, it is possible that some fading may occur.

• The red color of retardants is due to the use of red iron oxide (rust) to make the retardant drop more visible to the pilots. These highly colored, fine particles can be very stubborn to remove from rough or porous surfaces such as stone and rock. Use clean-up procedures that do not have a tendency to drive the color pigment deeper into the rough, uneven surfaces. The use of high-pressure power washers is not advised.

• Dampen a stained surface with water and scrub with a soft-bristled brush. Dampen the brush and using some borax cleanser may prove to be effective. Cleaners containing enzymes have also been successful in more rapidly reducing the stickiness of the thickener in the retardant.

• Restrict water use to prevent forming standing puddles, which may be attractive to pets and animals or dilute puddles that form with copious amounts of water.

• Avoid leaving standing puddles of water by using absorbent materials such as sand, soil, or other materials. !

When it lands on vegetation:

• Rinse retardant off of vegetation as soon as possible to avoid leaf “burning”.

• Retardant solutions contain vegetative fertilizers (sources of both nitrogen and phosphorus) that are considerably higher than what is generally sold at garden stores. This causes vegetation and plants to brown and appear dead after more than a few hours of contact without removal. However, they will generally recover and grow back - usually within one to two months.

• As with any garden produce, wash fruit and vegetables thoroughly before eating

Depending on weather conditions, pile burning activities will likely begin early next week, as soon as Monday, October 28, 2024, and will continue as conditions allow this fall through the winter on the Bozeman and Hebgen Lake Ranger Districts. This includes pile burning in North Bridgers, Hyalite Canyon in the Bozeman Municipal Watershed, North Hebgen, Lonesome Wood, Shedhorn Fire, and Administrative piles.

Our Goal: To reduce fire hazards by burning residual slash piles created by contract thinning, logging operations, forest crews, firewood gatherers, post and pole cutting, and summer homeowners, with special attention to reducing wildfire risk to communities in Wildand Urban Interface areas. Adjacent fuels are not expected to be receptive to fire during pile burning due to consistent snowpack or high moisture content.

Pile burning activities will only be ignited when conditions are met including when ground fuels are covered with sufficient snow, or during wet conditions.

Fall and winter provides ideal conditions for pile burning, with higher fuel moistures and cooler temperatures. Conducting burns in this season helps prevent out-of-control wildfires during the hotter months.

Prescribed fires are low intensity fires, carefully planned and ignited by trained personnel to remove excess fuels such as vegetation and dead and downed wood that would enable future wildfires to burn hotter and longer. Prescribed burning and pile burning are critical to the fuels management program on the Custer Gallatin National Forest to restore fire-adapted ecosystems as fire plays an important role on the landscape. As part of the agency’s nationwide Wildfire Crisis Strategy, the forest Service will continue to work with tribes, partners, and communities to expand this work in coming years, improving forest health and reducing wildfire risk.

For more information on the prescribed fire program: 
Visit our website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/custergallatin/fire

Or by calling: 
Bozeman Ranger District office at 406-522-2520. 

Hebgen Lake Ranger District office: 406-823-6961

For additional information on the Forest Service Wildfire Crisis Strategy, please see:  the https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/wildfire-crisis

Depending on weather conditions, pile burning activities will likely begin next week, as soon as Monday, October 28, 2024 and will continue as conditions allow this fall through the winter in the northwestern Crazy Mountains, specifically in the Smith Creek and Sunlight Road areas. The Crazy Mountains are located north of Livingston, MT.

The piles to be burned are part of the Smith Shields Forest Health project and are a result of thinning to improve forest health and reduce fuels to moderate fire intensity along key corridors. The piles are located primarily in areas where residual fuel was created from hazard tree removal, thinning, hazardous fuel reduction or logging activities. Adjacent fuels are not expected to be receptive to fire during pile burning due to consistent snowpack or high moisture content.

Pile burning activities in the Crazy Mountains will only be ignited when conditions are met including high fuel moisture or snow.

Fall and winter provides ideal conditions for pile burning, with higher fuel moistures and cooler temperatures. Conducting burns in this season helps prevent out-of-control wildfires during the hotter months.

Pile burning activities in the Crazy Mountains were previously postponed due to drier than expected conditions and high winds.

Size at time of update: 33,041 Acres 
Containment: 42% 
Personnel: 223 

There will be a virtual public meeting tonight at 6 p.m. The event will be livestreamed on the Ashley National Forest and Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest Facebook pages.  

Resources continued to work sections of the Yellow Lake Fire’s perimeter increasing containment to 42% Wednesday. The fire has not grown in several days.   

Crews continue to remove hazard trees, find and extinguish hot spots, and repair handline, dozer line, and other impacts caused while fighting the fire. Along the north half of the fire around Lambert Hollow, firefighters increased containment and remove hazard trees weakened by fire. On the south side of the fire around Tim’s Hole, firefighters worked on extinguishing hot spots still remaining despite the cooler temperatures. Containment will increase once heat is extinguished far enough inside the fire’s perimeter. Resources also helped heavy equipment regrade Soapstone Road, improving the road after increased traffic during suppression efforts. The bulldozer line along West Fork of the Duchesne River was also repaired.  
 
Relative humidity remains low for the time of year, but humidity overnight has been favorable to firefighters extinguishing hot spots along the uncontained fire edge. After days of warmer weather, a cold front moves in today accompanied by stronger winds that will subside this afternoon. Temperatures will then remain cooler for the next few days with snow and rain forecasted next week.   
 
To request a permit to access property within the forest closures to retrieve important items, livestock, or winterize buildings, please contact the liaison officer at 2024.yellowlake.liaison@firenet.gov.  

Forest Closures:  

• Updated October 18, 2024, the Yellow Lake Fire closure area has been reduced on the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. This Order shall remain in effect until November 25, 2024, unless rescinded. 
  https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/uwcnf/alerts-notices 
   
• Updated October 19, 2024, the Yellow Lake Fire closure area has been reduced on the Ashley National Forest. This closure will remain in place through December 31, 2024, or until rescinded. https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/ashley/alerts-notices 

For Evacuation Information:  

https://emergency-management-operations-wasatch.hub.arcgis.com/ 

https://tricountyemergencyalert.genasys.com/portal/en 

Email: 2024.shoe@firenet.gov

Incident Website: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/cashf-shoe-fire

Forest Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/stnf

Fire Weather Forecast: https://www.weather.gov/wrh/CAFW?area=ECC005

Fire Information: 530-338-0317

Hours: 08:00am to 8:00pm

Location: Shasta County, CA                                             Start Date:  Wednesday, October 9, 2024, at 6:57 p.m.    

Cause: Human caused                                                       Size: 5,127                                                            

Percent Contained:  45%                                                 Vegetation: Timber, Chapparal 

Number of Personnel Assigned: 856

California Team 13 will transfer command to the Pacific Northwest Team 12 on October 25th. Firefighters have commenced the withdraw of up to five miles of hose lays and heavy equipment from divisions that have been contained and mopped up. Hot, dry and windy conditions persist today across the fire today. Fire crews continue to mop up and secure areas of concern around the clock to ensure the fire stays within the current containment lines. Aircraft will remain on standby to provide suppression support. Incident personnel are actively collaborating with resource advisors to repair and safeguard areas affected by fire damage. Resource advisors work in conjunction with operations to protect cultural, natural, and other forest resources.

WEATHER:

Today winds from the north to northwest are anticipated, with the potential for locally strong gusts, particularly along ridges and in areas characterized by channeled terrain. Relative humidity, which remained low last night is expected to decrease further today with minimum relative humidity levels projected to be in the mid to upper teens for both today and Friday. Additionally, poor overnight recovery of humidity is expected along slopes and ridges tonight.

EVACUATIONS:  Due to improving conditions on the Shoe Fire burning north of Lake Shasta, in cooperation with fire officials, the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office is reducing the Evacuation order for zone LKH-1448-B to an Evacuation WARNING.

Information staff for the Shoe Fire are working diligently to provide timely and accurate information to the public. Fire updates can be found on the Shoe Fire 2024 Facebook page: www.facebook.com/2024ShoeFire/

FIRE AND SMOKE MAP:

Updates on smoke conditions can be found under the following link

https://outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlook/59ecb6c0?

ROAD CLOSURES:

• Fenders Ferry Road at Pit River 7 Bridge: West-Bound Fenders Ferry Road (Also known as 34N17 - Forest Service Road 27) at the Pit River Bridge/Pit 7
• Ferry Road is closed at McCloud Bridge: East-Bound Fenders Ferry Road at the McCloud River Bridge

FOREST CLOSURES:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/stnf/alerts-notices/?cid=stelprdb5392380