rocky mountain wildfire roundup
Nearly 1,300 Square Miles Burn in Idaho
By Matthew Frank, 7-23-07
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In Idaho the Elk Mountain and Rowland Fires near the Idaho-Nevada border have combined to create the 567,721-acre Murphy Complex Fire, a devastating blaze burning through brush, grass and trees that threatens a number of small communities and an Air Force training range, and has left about 1,300 residences without power. At 567,721 acres (or 886 square miles), the fire is more than 200,000 acres larger than the Milford Flat Fire that ripped through Utah earlier in the season.
Monday morning the fire, 56 miles southwest of Twin Falls, was 15 percent contained. An evacuation order is still in place for residents of Jarbidge, Nevada; it was lifted for Murphy Hot Springs, Idaho.
The fire camp reports that the fire area contains grazing allotments, bull trout habitat, important riparian and watershed areas, big horn sheep habitat, sagegrouse habitat, deer and elk bedding grounds and numerous cultural sites.
To keep up with the blaze, check in with InciWeb and the National Interagency Fire Center.
Altogether Idaho’s 14 wildfires are burning nearly 1,300 square miles, more than in any other state. Another top priority is the 28,000-acre Poe Cabin Fire, which ignited in Oregon but is now primarily in Idaho, about six miles southwest of White Bird. There are a number of subdivisions, residential areas, and scattered residences within and adjacent to the fire perimeter that are threatened, and road closures are in effect. It was 15 percent contained Monday morning.
For the latest on the rest of the fires burning in Idaho, many of which threaten communities, visit InciWeb and the National Interagency Fire Center.
MONTANA
Montana’s Ahorn Fire grew by nearly 1,500 acres Sunday for a total 8,792. The fire, burning the Bob Marshall Wilderness and the Lewis and Clark National Forest, displayed erratic and active fire behavior with dropping humidity and rising temperatures. Westerly winds gusted up to 25 mph and flame lengths stretched 200 feet in the air yesterday. The state’s biggest fire of the season remains zero percent contained.
The fire spotted across the Sun River and then crossed into Big Head Creek Sunday, traveling approximately one mile east. The blaze has now burned approximately three quarters of a mile out of the Bob Marshall Wilderness on the Lewis and Clark National Forest.
Yesterday afternoon officials issued an evacuation order for all residents of Benchmark Trailhead to the Woodlake Campground. Summer lease cabins, bridges and ranches are nearby.
Helicopters dropped 60,000 gallons of water on the blaze Sunday, before weather conditions and fire behavior made those efforts ineffective. It’s expected to become even hotter and dryer Monday. More crowning, group torching and columns of smoke are likely.
Click here for more on all of the fires currently burning in Montana.
UTAH
In Utah the Salt Creek Fire five miles west of Nephi was up to 18,502 acres and 15 percent contained. The fire camp reports that portions of the fire were quieted by rain Sunday night, while other areas displayed rates of spread up to 30 chains per hour (1 chain = 66 feet) with flame lengths up to 30 feet.
A total of 200 homes are threatened—residents of about 80 homes from the subdivisions of Elk Ridge, Indian Ridge and Oaker Hills in the Indianola Valley remain evacuated, as do homeowners from the Holiday Oaks residential area east of Nephi, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. Officials say two homes and six outbuildings have been destroyed by the fire, according to the Tribune.
Elsewhere in Utah, the Dakota Hill Fire burning in and around Zion National Park is listed at 8,942. It too received some rain Sunday. Several structures and communities are threatened and evacuations are in effect.
The Kimbell Fire seven miles northwest of Grantsville has run to 17,100 acres—up from about 8,200 acres Sunday. Structures are threatened.
Visit NIFC for a full rundown of Utah’s fires.
OREGON
The good news in Oregon is that the Egley Complex Fire was contained Sunday after it blackened more than 140,000 acres in its two-plus weeks of active burning.
The bad news: The Battle Creek Complex Fire burning about 28 miles northeast of Enterprise has grown to 44,147 acres, moving northerly and southerly along canyon walls up to two miles per day in each direction, according to the fire camp. It was 15 percent contained Monday morning. Late afternoon wind gusts of up to 45 mph are expected. About 100 homes, historic structures, and power lines are threatened.
The Oregonian quotes Jeree Mills of the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center as saying, “That one is going to be around for a while.”
Meanwhile, the the Monument Complex Fire five miles north of Monument has grown to 46,000 acres. It was 40 percent contained Monday. Power lines and homes near Monument remain threatened.
Check NIFC for a full rundown of Oregon’s wildfires.
WYOMING
The Owl Fire has burned 217 acres on the Wyoming-Montana border in the Yellowstone National Park. It is not a threat to people or property and all visitor services, park entrances, and roads are open, but some trails and backcountry campsites in the area near the fire are temporarily closed. Yellowstone National Park plans to hold a public meeting Monday evening to update interested community members on the status of the Owl Fire. It will begin at 7:00 pm in the Community Center in Gardiner, Montana.
The Granite Creek Fire, burning in the Bridger-Teton National Forest’s Gros Ventre Wilderness about 15 miles southeast of Jackson, is up to 940 acres.
For updates visit InciWeb.org and the National Interagency Fire Center.
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Comments
We are going to leave our children dead trees and burnt stumps if this keeps up.
Much of the problem can be connected with the beetle infestations that have sprung up since the timber industry has been shut down.
Green thinned forests will always be more of an asset than diseased & dead trees and black skeletons of trees......at least in my opinion.
What evidence do you have that "much of the problem" with the wildfires currently burning is attributed to beetle infestations? My understanding is that many of the largest fires are burning in grasslands and brush, not in beetle killed trees. Beetle infestations have always been around. There have been "epidemic" outbreaks routinely during the past 100 years, including during periods of unprecedented logging.
Ask any entomologist and they will tell you that the current beetle "epidemic" is driven by dramatic changes in the climate that have brought hotter temps during the summer and winter and less moisture, which has stressed the trees. Entomologists say that some beetle species are having 2 or 3 reproductive cycles per year now because of these weather conditions, whereas they used to only have one cycle.
It's also a fallacy to think that on a landscape scale we can have any measured impact on the spread of beetles. Over the past century nearly everything has been tried to rid our forests of beetles (from heavy logging, light logging, spraying with chemicals, blowing up trees with dynamite, etc) and none of it has worked.
I also believe the facts are quite clear that these fires are being driven more by climate, drought and weather than any other factor. I know the west is in the grips of a heat wave and here are some of the numbers for Missoula. We hit an all time high of 107 in Missoula a few weeks ago. In the past 30 days we've dipped below 90 only once. We've broken the annual record already for most days over 90. We've broken the record already for most days over 100. Our overnight lows have been in the 60s to low 70s (normal low on this date in Missoula is 51).
We still have (at least) 45 more days of summer weather and, oh, by the way, we've had 6.5" of precipitation since January 1st. Average daytime humidity during this heat wave has been between 8% and 12% and afternoon winds 20 to 30 mph have been common.
P.S. "Off the charts" - Al Gore
What evidence do you have that "much of the problem" with the wildfires currently burning is attributed to beetle infestations? My understanding is that many of the largest fires are burning in grasslands and brush, not in beetle killed trees. Beetle infestations have always been around. There have been "epidemic" outbreaks routinely during the past 100 years, including during periods of unprecedented logging.
Ask any entomologist and they will tell you that the current beetle "epidemic" is driven by dramatic changes in the climate that have brought hotter temps during the summer and winter and less moisture, which has stressed the trees. Entomologists say that some beetle species are having 2 or 3 reproductive cycles per year now because of these weather conditions, whereas they used to only have one cycle.
It's also a fallacy to think that on a landscape scale we can have any measured impact on the spread of beetles. Over the past century nearly everything has been tried to rid our forests of beetles (from heavy logging, light logging, spraying with chemicals, blowing up trees with dynamite, etc) and none of it has worked.
I also believe the facts are quite clear that these fires are being driven more by climate, drought and weather than any other factor. I know the west is in the grips of a heat wave and here are some of the numbers for Missoula. We hit an all time high of 107 in Missoula a few weeks ago. In the past 30 days we've dipped below 90 only once. We've broken the annual record already for most days over 90. We've broken the record already for most days over 100. Our overnight lows have been in the 60s to low 70s (normal low on this date in Missoula is 51).
We still have (at least) 45 more days of summer weather and, oh, by the way, we've had 6.5" of precipitation since January 1st. Average daytime humidity during this heat wave has been between 8% and 12% and afternoon winds 20 to 30 mph have been common.
While blaming the fires on a lack of "active management" might score some points with some people I just don't believe the facts back it up. Homeowners, communities and local elected officials should focus on better zoning, homeowner education and community fuel reduction projects immediately adjacent to homes/neighborhoods. Meanwhile, the Forest Service's "active management" should focus on removing impediments to naturally functioning ecosystems and, where fuel reduction is concerned, management should be focused where it will do the most good and save the most lives and that's in the interface between homes and public lands, not deep within the forests at the expense of the former.
P.S. "Off the charts" - Al Gore