Incident Publication

Rocky Mountain Area Complex Incident Management Team 3

Casey Cheesbrough, Incident Commander 

Size: 84,328 acres (5,048-acre increase)

Total Personnel: 937

Containment: 32 percent

Cause: Lightning

Resources: 13 aircraft | 20 crews | 66 engines | 8 dozers | 16 water tenders | 5 masticators | 8 skidders | 5 feller bunchers 1 processor

Key Messages: As containment increases on the fire’s eastern perimeter, resources are shifting to the southern side of the fire, which is the priority focus of the suppression effort. During a presentation of today’s operational plan, Deputy Incident Commander Jay Miller said, “Some things we can control and some things we can’t, but we can control the work we’re doing. We’ll be as aggressive as we can be while keeping firefighters and residents safe and protecting the watershed from lasting damage.”

Today’s reported acreage increase is a result of both recent firing operations conducted primarily on the southern side of the fire and the ongoing growth of the main fire.

Current Situation: While much of the fire’s eastern perimeter is now contained, engine crews will maintain a presence in the area as they patrol and extinguish any lingering hotspots they observe from containment lines. Firefighters are also backhauling excess equipment.

Yesterday evening, on the northwest side near Broderick Flat, the fire spotted across a dozer line adjacent to the 114 Road.  While receiving aerial assistance with water drops, crews constructed fireline around most of the spot fire. Night operations then finished line construction, secured, and mopped up hotspots. Today, crews will continue to monitor the area. Along the 144 Road, chipping operations continue, clearing slash piles accumulated from earlier road preparation. 

 Fire growth on the western side remains moderate. However, numerous firefighters spiked out at a second camp near Burgess Junction continue to install pumps and sprinklers around structures and are ready to use firing tactics should the fire advance westward. North of Burgess Junction on the 15 Road, crews are using hand tools and heavy equipment to remove vegetation and prepare the area for defensive action.

On the fire’s south side, firing operations have been completed around the water intake facility. Night operations mopped up remaining hotspots and started to remove fire hose and pumps. They also completed 85 acres of firing operations north of Red Grade Road. To stay ahead of the fire, crews will continue those firing operations today. Along Red Grade Road, heavy-equipment operators and hand crews are removing vegetation to clear and widen the road, which is serving as the primary fireline. Parallel to and south of the road, aircraft made numerous retardant drops to pretreat the area should firing operations north off the Red Grade Road be necessary to halt the fire’s southward progression.

Weather & Fire Behavior: A weak cold front will move across the area today, bringing northerly winds, slightly cooler temperatures, and higher humidities. The shift in wind direction will be favorable to crews working on the northern and eastern sides of the fire but challenging to those on the southern and western sides. Numerous days of unseasonably hot, dry conditions have led to the vegetation and abundant dead and down trees being extremely dry and receptive to burning. The incident’s fire behavior analyst has advised crews to anticipate active fire behavior and potentially significant growth of the main fire. The public may observe abundant smoke today. For air-quality and smoke information, go to airnow.gov. 

Evacuations and Closures: Sheridan County evacuations can change frequently. For current information and a map, check the Sheridan County Emergency Management website: tinyurl.com/2s38bcc5. Information regarding county road closures can also be found on the same website. If you have further questions, call either the Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office (307-672-3455) or Sheridan County Emergency Management (307-752-2174). Red Cross has established an evacuation center at the Sheridan County Fairgrounds that is accommodating people, RVs/campers, pets, and livestock. Call 307-752-2174 or 307-683-6965 to make arrangements. US Highway 14 is closed at Granite Pass/Hunt Mountain Road/FS 10 (milepost 38.3). US Highway 14A is closed at Hunt Mountain Road/FS10 (milepost 85.6). View the Wyoming Department of Transportation road-closure map here: wyoroad.info. Bighorn National Forest lands around the Elk Fire are closed under Order 02-02-06-24-08. The order and map can be viewed here: fs.usda.gov/alerts/bighorn/alerts-notices.

Firefighters begin suppression repair; motorists advised of increasing traffic

Daily Update: October 12, 2024

Fire Information Phone: 503-854-3366 (8 a.m.-8 p.m.) 

Email: 2024.Bingham@firenet.gov 

Acres: 199      Containment: 92%

Location: Areas of the Mount Jefferson Wilderness, east of Marion Forks.

Start Date: September 30,2024             Personnel:   250                 

Resources: 9 crews | 1 engine | 1 bulldozer | 3 water tenders | 1 excavator

Highlights: After a second day of easterly winds, the Bingham Fire stayed at 199 acres Friday, Oct. 11, while containment grew to 92 percent. Crews are splitting time between patrolling containment lines, extinguishing isolated hot spots, and returning the landscape to a more natural state from disturbances caused by firefighting tactics.

In a practice referred to as “suppression repair,” firefighters and heavy equipment operators will, among other things, grade roads and cover or reseed ground disturbances to minimize erosion and promote ground-stabilizing revegetation.

Motorists enjoying the holiday weekend are advised to watch out for firefighting vehicles on and around Highway 22 as firefighters begin removing equipment from the area. 

Evacuations: The Linn County Sheriff’s Office has reduced the size of LEVEL 3: GO NOW! evacuation areas Oct. 10, converting them to LEVEL 2: GET SET evacuation alerts. The Level 2 evacuation area extends along Highway 22 to a ½-mile west of Highway 22, from Pamelia Road (NFS Road 2246) south to Parrish Lake Road (NFS Road 2266). Please refer to the Linn County Wildfire Map for more information: https://tinyurl.com/LinnCoFireMap. Highway 22 remains open. 

The Willamette National Forest also reduced its closure area Oct. 10 within the same footprint as the county’s Level 3 evacuation zone. Details of the closure order can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/2y4sacl8. The Pacific Crest Trail through the Mount Jefferson Wilderness remains open. Impacted trails include Bingham Ridge Trail, Independence Rock Trail, Marion Lake Trail and Lake of the Woods Trail. With hunting season started, Forest Service staff will work with the Linn County Sheriff’s Office to reduce closure areas as soon as it is safe to do so.

Weather: Winds are expected to shift midday today back to a westerly direction as temperatures stay in the upper 50s to lower 60s. A 20 percent chance of light rain is also forecast.

Weather: Temperatures are expected to be in the mid 60’s with relative humidity around 25%. There will be cloud cover with weaker winds which are anticipated to be out of the southwest around 5mph and gusts up to 10mph.

Logan Fire Statistics

Size: 13,942 acres

Completion: 10%

Total Personnel: 191

Reported: 9/8/24

Cause: Lightning

Location:  Edwardsburg/Big Creek and into the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness on the north and south sides of Big Creek in the wilderness.

Current Situation:  Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team 3 assumed command of the Logan fire this morning at 7:30am. Yesterday, the team installed an Incident Remote Automatic Weather Station (IRAWS) at the Big Creek Airstrip. This portable, solar-powered weather station provides information on the hour including windspeed and direction, air temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, among other things, which helps the incident meteorologist dial in forecasts. Weather influences fire behavior, which fire managers use to make strategic decisions on where firefighters will work to protect values. While fire behavior was moderate yesterday, there was some activity along the Hogback Ridge. Today, three crews will work installing handline between the community of Edwardsburg and Hogback Ridge. A structure protection group will continue holding the line around the community and the night operations will continue extinguishing any spot fires and securing the fire perimeter between the fire front and the town, providing 24-hour protection. Falling modules are working to open the Smith Creek Road and Elk Summit Road just north of Government Creek which is impassable due to fallen trees. 

Evacuations: Logan Fire Edwardsburg Area - The Valley County Sheriff’s Office has placed a "GO" evacuation notice for the Edwardsburg area due to the movement of the Logan Fire. Evacuation orders will be sent out via, CodeRED. Please download the mobile app and sign up. Information is available via the Valley County Idaho website at https://www.co.valley.id.us/WildfireEvacuation  or the Valley County Sheriff’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064415776390 

Closures:  The Logan Fire has a closure around the fire on the Krassel Ranger District and the map and description are located at  https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/payette/alerts-notices  The Sheriff has closed the Warren-Profile Gap Road between Elk Summit and Profile Creek intersection just north of Yellow Pine (this is a County Road). The Big Creek Airstrip is closed.

Pack Trail Daily Update October 12, 2024

Total Acres: 71,424

Confined: 62%

Total Personnel: 591 

Operations – Today due to dry, unstable, windy weather conditions, moderated fire behavior is expected. Yesterday, near red flag conditions led to significant fire activity northeast of Union Pass Road. The fire picked up after noon, crossing Leeds Creek and 534 Road. Crews are now working to contain the fire’s spread tying it back to 534 Road after initially pulling back due to unsafe conditions. The Pack Trail Fire continued to back into the area around Cowboy Camp, Strawberry Warming Hut, and Fish Creek Guard Station, where firefighters are cleaning up hotspots, patrolling, and refilling tanks for the sprinkler systems for point protection. The fire remains contained north of Union Pass Road. On the west flank, firefighters are patrolling the Burnt Ridge area as the fire creeps slowly downhill. Structure protection crews are wrapping buildings, installing hose lays, and setting up sprinklers at Elk Track Ranch and in the Gros Ventre area. 

Overnight on the east side, moderated fire behavior persisted and is expected to continue today. Crews are conducting structure protection in the Highway 26 corridor. Yesterday, crews worked in the Union Pass Subdivision to reduce hazardous fuels around homes. On the north side, no new fire activity was observed, but some heat remains in the interior, with smoke still visible. Crews continue patrolling for new smoke and fire growth

Safety - Drivers on US-26 may experience periods of smoke today due to high winds. Please use caution while driving, use headlights, and expect to encounter fire vehicles along the road. If planning travel on US-26 across the Continental Divide monitor WY-DOT for possible closures due to fire activity.

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. Due to excessively dry fuels, any spark can ignite fire which can spread rapidly, becoming a large fire and exhibit extreme fire intensity. Residents and visitors are urged to exercise extreme caution with fire or possible ignition sources. Always build your campfires away from dry grass, leaves, and overhanging branches to reduce the risk of spreading wildfire. Clear at least a 10-foot perimeter around your fire, removing any flammable material, and make sure your fire is dead out and cool to touch before you go to sleep, or leave the area. 

Weather – Today’s weather brings potential for moderate fire behavior. Today will be partly cloudy with temperatures in the low to mid 60s. The wind will be from the West going towards the east at 16 MPH with gusts up to 27. Relative humidity is 18-23%. To learn more about air quality, visit Fire.AirNow.Gov. 

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

Evacuations – The Upper Gros Ventre area (Goosewing and Elk Track Ranches) in Teton County have been put into a Level 2 “Set” Evacuation Warning. Evacuations and evacuation alerts for several subdivisions and ranches in Fremont County, WY remain in place. 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.

Forest Closures - Closure Order #04-03-24-316 is in effect from October 9, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. through November 1, 2024 at 6:00 a.m. unless rescinded. This order supersedes previous orders, including #04-03-24-315, 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

Middle Fork Complex Fire Update

October 12, 2024

Middle Fork Complex Fire Information: 208-992-3045 (8 a.m. - 8 p.m.)

Email: 2024.middleforkcomplex@firenet.gov

Middle Fork Complex: 61,495 acres, 90% completed, 135 personnel

Snag Fire: 33,437 acres, 90% completed, 22 personnel

Goat Fire: 34,920 acres, 20% completion, 204 personnel

Weather: A ridge of high pressure starts to build up again today. However, the air mass over the region will remain moist enough that humidity will only drop down into the low 20s in the afternoon and good recoveries are expected overnight. Temperatures will remain in the upper 60s and low 70s. Winds will mainly be terrain driven as the smoke conditions improve around the fire. Wednesday and Thursday a major pattern change is coming which will bring much cooler, wet weather. By Wednesday, there is a 75% chance of a wetting rain and by Thursday, there is an 80% chance of some snow on the fire area.

Goat Fire: The northern flank of the Goat Fire is in monitor status, where there is still a little bit of smoke on the northern side of the fire area, well within the interior in areas that is inaccessible to firefighters. South of Warm Lake, crews will continue to prep the contingency line along the Bear Creek Road. They will also continue repairs on culverts at Rice Creek. Crews and equipment remain in the Yellow Jacket Trail area keeping an eye on hot spots, ready to take suppression action where needed.

Firefighters and engines will be on the 678 and 671 Roads today to continue to mop up and will cut hazard trees along the road in order to get these roads back to a safe travel condition. Crews will also be monitoring the fires edge that is continuing to back down towards the Middle Fork in the area where it hasn’t completely reached the river, helping it along as necessary.

Snag Fire: The Snag Fire continues to see little fire activity. Crews are continuing to patrol and monitor the area looking for hot spots, keeping an eye on the Middle Fork on the west side, and will utilize aviation support as needed if there is any increase in fire activity. Repair work continues on the southern tip of the Snag Fire working to complete that today.

Middle Fork Complex: Fire behavior on the Nellie and Bulldog continues to show little activity and no growth is expected, remaining in patrol status. Firefighters are also assessing the 555 Road for repair work needed. Repairs will commence as resources are freed up after completing work in other areas.

Notice: Please be aware there will be increased fire traffic in the Warm Lake area from firefighters and equipment traveling to the Logan Fire that is burning near Edwardsburg. General deer hunting season started this week, and hunters should be aware of additional fire traffic in the area. 

Closures: The Boise National Forest has issued a revised Area, Road, and Trail Closure Order for the Middle Fork Complex, and Snag and Goat fires. The revised closure order and map can be found at the following link: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/boise/alerts-notices.

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Minimal Fire growth observed

Red Rock Fire

Operations: Cloudy weather moderated fire growth yesterday. Firefighters conducted firing operations along FR 020 on the east side and around the Yellowjacket Guard Station. The ignitions are intended to remove fuels ahead of the main fire and prevent fire spread. Dozers continued building line along FR 020 towards the south and from Moyer Peak to the west. Crews and a dozer built direct line around the spot fire near Napias Creek, which is expected to take multiple days to complete due to the rugged terrain. Helicopters provided bucket drops to cool the fire’s edge.

Today dozer line construction and ignitions south along FR 020 will continue. Additional dozer line construction will begin from just west of the colbalt mine towards the FR 113. Around Forney, sawyers will remove hazard trees along roads to make the area safe for the public. Direct line construction will continue on the spot fire near Napias Creek.

Garden Fire

Operations: Little fire growth was observed yesterday. Firefighters continued securing, patrolling and mopping up the ignitions in Panther Creek. Helicopter drops continue as needed to keep fire above the Salmon River and prevent spotting across.

Today crews will continue to secure and mop up in Panther Creek. Crews continue scouting along the Salmon River corridor looking for potential holding features.

Additional Information

Weather: A gradual warming trend is in store this weekend, but it will not be a significant warmup. Smoke will play a role in providing shading and keeping temperatures cooler and the humidity higher compared to what would be observed. Winds will mostly be light and variable this weekend. There is predicted to be an uptick in winds from the southwest on Monday. A change to cooler and wetter weather is expected in northern and central Idaho during midweek. 

Smoke: Information on protecting your health from smoke. Current smoke outlook. 

Closures: The forest closure order was updated and expanded October 5, 2024. 

 Special Notes: The Salmon River Road and the Salmon River to float boating will remain open. NO stopping from SPRING CREEK to LONG TOM PICNIC AREA. Expect delays from the confluence of the Main Salmon River and Panther Creek and Cove Creek due to firefighting activity to allow the firefighters to do their job safely and efficiently. The Salmon River could be closed due to fire behavior at any time. Be prepared to stay downriver.

Evacuations: Evacuation information in Lemhi County regarding both the Red Rock and Garden.

Safety: Please stay out of the fire area. There is still active fire behavior in the fire area, including group torching and crown runs. There are multiple roads and bridges that have been destroyed or are impassable. Entry into evacuation zones that are in “Go” status is prohibited. The updated forest closure notice that encompasses both the Red Rock Fire and Garden Fire areas includes multiple road and area closures. Barricade closures will be posted at road intersections and forest boundaries. 

Type 3 Incident Command Team, Incident Commander Matt Young   

Location: Bitterroot NF: Railroad Creek/ Skalkaho Creek confluence, 26 miles southeast of Hamilton 

Beaverhead-Deerlodge NF: 20 Miles northwest of Georgetown Lake Dam off  Skalkaho Hwy 38 

Start Date: 7/25/2024  Cause: Undetermined     

Daly Fire Acres: 9,529  Railroad Fire Acres: 1,450  Completion: 56% 

Total Personnel: 252 

Current Status  

Cooler weather on the Railroad-Daly fire provided very little change in acres yesterday. Fire crews utilized firing operations to burn ground fuels between control line and the head of the fire from Gird Point Rd to Hwy 38. Helicopters aided firefighters during firing operations to cool down fires edge. 

  On the west side of the fire, crews will continue efforts in support of yesterdays firing operations by continuing construction of hand and dozer line below Gird Creek Road going south to Hwy 38. Structure protection will continue between Gird Creek Road and Hwy 38. Fire fighters will also continue to improve structure protection in Stoney Creek and monitor fires spread within upper Stoney. 

Weather and Fire Behavior :Today’s weather is predicted to be mostly sunny with max temperature of 69 degrees and relative humidity at 26-31%.  Wind is predicted at 5-10 mph. High pressure will allow for warm and dry conditions with daily winds. 
EVACUATIONS: On October 9, 2024 the Ravalli County Sheriff’s Office issued an Evacuation Warning for residents off of Skalkaho Highway (1700-2500 block) due to the Railroad-Daly Fire. For more information on evacuations visit the Ravalli County Sheriff Facebook page.  

To register your phone number for emergency notifications in Ravalli County visit, http://hyper-reach.com/mtravallisignup.html. 

CLOSURES   

For additional information on the Skalkaho Hwy 38 road closure visit Montana Department of Transportation. The Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest has issued an Area/Road/Trail Closure effective October 4, 2024. The Bitterroot National Forest has also issued a road closure effective October 10, 2024. These order’s are for public and firefighter safety during fire suppression efforts on the Fire.  Closure information and maps are posted on the Bitterroot and Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forests’ website www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/bdnf/alerts-notices and www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/bitterroot/alerts-notices. 

Location: San Bernardino County, CA                                                         Start Date: September 5, 2024

Size: 43,978 acres                                                                                         Percent Contained: 94%

Cause: Human                                                                                               Personnel: 475

CURRENT SITUATION:

Contingency lines around the Line Fire have been tested this last week by strong winds, but thanks to the hard work of firefighters and fire management personnel to date, lines have held well and have not been compromised. Yesterday, an interior pocket of smoke from a smoldering tree was mitigated by air resources. Line improvement and line backhaul activities will consume a great deal of firefighters’ time the next few days, along with suppression repair on roads, drainages, corridors and dozer lines. Resource advisors are lending expertise and monitoring rehabilitation efforts around and within the perimeter of the fire.

Smoke will still be visible well within the interior of the fire where difficult terrain has made access difficult. Aircraft will still be actively dropping water today, and will be available to support any new starts. Fire danger is still very high—fire danger indices are higher now than when the Line Fire started on September 5, and any new starts will be resistant to initial attack. The public is asked to be extremely diligent, firewise, and fire aware. With the influx of thousands of extra visitors into the area for a foot race and festival and the start of modern gun hunting season, overnight patrol crews will be staffed strategically around the fire perimeter through the weekend.

A debris flow task force is being assembled that will be comprised of federal, state and county cooperators. This task force will focus primary on post-burn threats to communities during a run-off event in the coming months. Future messaging for the Line Fire will include more information about debris flow and provide information to residents about how to prepare for and protect homes and properties from potential devastation.

WEATHER:

Higher humidity and lower temperatures will further aid containment progression. No growth is expected, thanks to calm winds and higher relative humidity recoveries. 

CLOSURES:

San Bernardino National Forest has issued closures for areas surrounding the Line Fire. For more information and to see the map use this link -  https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sbnf/?cid=FSEPRD1181411. 

Highway 330 remains closed from Highland Avenue to Highway 18 as CalTrans performs repairs to the road and guardrails. 

EVACUATIONS: 

There are currently no evacuation warnings or orders for communities in or around the Line Fire. 

On October 9, 2024, the Mowitch and Birch fires merged.  The Mowitch Fire will no longer be reported on.  Information from October 10, 2024 on will be reported as the Birch Fire.  

October 10, 2024: Fire activity was moderated from the previous day.  The fire continues to slowly back down the Middle Fork of Indian Creek and Mowitch Creek drainages towards Indian Creek.  Fire continues to back down the West Fork of Indian Creek on the western slope of the drainage.  Growth from October 9 showed isolated pockets of heat on the ridge between the West Fork of Indian Creek and Pungo Creek.  

October 11, 2024:  Minimal fire activity was observed in Mowitch Creek and the East Fork of Indian Creek.  The inversion did not lift until approximately 4:00 pm which allowed for a short burn period for the day.  The main activity occurred in the Middle Fork of Indian Creek where fire continues to back downslope towards Indian Creek.