Wildland Fire
Fire East of Missoula Burns One Home, Swells to Almost 3,000 Acres
By courtney lowery, 7-22-06
Fire officials confirmed Wednesday that the 2,900-acre Packer Gulch Fire 15 miles west of Drummond and 35 miles east of Missoula has burned one mobile home and two outbuildings.
Fire information officer Wayne Johnson said the property got caught in flames on Tuesday, the day the fire sparked up, during initial attack operations. It was a primary residence but the owner was living in the mobile home while building a house nearby, Johnson said.
Despite temperatures in the 100s Saturday afternoon, crews made good progress in lining the fire and by about 6:00 they had fire lines connected around the perimeter of the fire. "They're really hammering it hard," Johnson said.
Update: The containment was upped Sunday to 30 percent and the Type II team managing the fire was focusing on reinforcing lines around the fire and bracing for temperatures up to 103 degrees, winds and again, low humidity.
Crews are planning to burnout lines Sunday and continue to drop water on the fire. Helicopters are dipping out of the Clark Fork just below the blaze. So far Sunday morning, the fire is behaving well, said fire information officer Linda McFaddan.
"We're hoping we're on the downward swing if Mother Nature can help us out here," McFaddan said.
The 10 threatened homes (still evacuted) are on the west northwest side of the fire and that line is holding really well, Johnson said. Already, crews have 18,000 feet of mop up hose in the area, meaning firefighters are just looking for hot spots to put out there.
Total, there is 466 people working on the fire, 14 crews, 10 engines, four helicopters and several air tankers available. The human-caused fire has cost nearly $500,000 so far. Officials are still invesigating how the fire started.
All roads into the area are closed, including the Bear Creek Frontage Road Junction, Garnet Ghost Town Road and Cramer Creek Road. You can still get to Garnet Ghost Town from the North though.
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