Sawmill Complex Fire Daily Update: Sept. 6

By Sawmill Complex Fire Information, Guest Writer, 9-06-07

The evacuation order has been lifted for Willow Creek Road (Granite County).  Residents remain on a 24-hour pre-evacuation notice.  Willow Creek Road (Granite County) is open to residents only.

Rock Creek residents are still under a 24-hour pre-evacuation notice.  Rock Creek Road is closed to non-residents from Mile Marker 1 to the intersection with County Road 348.

Rock Creek Road is open to residents, from Mile Marker 12 to Trout Haven/Miller Flats (approximately Mile Marker 20).  However, this section of road is subject to various restrictions or closure without notice depending on fire activity.

Complex Wide: Fire activity was quiet today due to the precipitation received on Tuesday night and Wednesday. Lower temperatures also contributed to reduced activity; acres increased by 83.  There was no Infrared Flight last night due to cloud cover.

Fisher Point Fire (14,997 acres, date of origin 7/28/07) Fire activity was minimal Wednesday. Fire personnel will continue mop-up hot areas along the perimeter near Upper Willow Creek Road. The fire has not crossed Chico Gulch.  Some helicopter bucket work continued.

Wyman 2 Fire (35,348 acres, date of origin 7/29/07) continued with minimal activity. The fire continued burning north of Skalkaho Pass Wednesday afternoon.  The Helena Hotshots were brought in to work on line construction.  Crews will continue to monitor and patrol along Rock Creek and the lower part of Stony Creek. 

Sawmill Fire (11,811 acres, date of origin 7/15/07) was relatively quiet. Crews continued to monitor and patrol west of Rock Creek.

Sawmill Complex Statistics at a Glance:

* Date Complex Formed:  July 31, 2007
* Location: 22 miles southeast of Missoula MT
* Cause: Lightning
* Fuels: Timber, litter, and grass
* Size: 62,449 acres
* Containment: 24 %
* Cost:  $17,900,000
* Resources:  Crews - 4; Helicopters - 4; Engines - 15; Personnel - 313

In discussions with the three forests, there is agreement that complexity for this incident remains at the Type 2 level. Tom Heintz’s Type 2 Team will be replacing Don Angell’s team on Saturday. 

The Montana National Guard is assisting with road blocks and security efforts.  Fire Passes are being issued at road blocks to residents affected by the closure.  To obtain a pass, residents need to provide proof of residency.

The Skalkaho Road is not currently being affected by these closures. 

Due to water conditions and fire operations, Rock Creek is closed to fishing from the Skalkaho Highway Bridge to the Clark Fork River. 

The Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest has closed portions of the Goose Gulch Rd. #4325, Otter Creek Rd. #8419, Miners Gulch Rd. #5156, and Upper Willow Creek Rd. (Granite County) #88. These roads are closed to all motorized vehicles, foot, bicycle, and horse activities for public safety due to fire activity. 

The Bitterroot National Forest has closed Trail #313 (Sapphire Divide) from the Skalkaho road to Sawmill Saddle.

Attention Hunters: Additional sections of the Lolo, Beaverhead-Deerlodge, and Bitterrroot National Forest have been closed due to the current fire activity. Please check the National Forests’ websites for the most up-to-date closures before proceeding to traditional hunting spots.

Lolo NF: http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/lolo/

Beaverhead-Deerlodge NF: http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/b-d/

Bitterroot NF: http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/bitterroot/

Editor’s note: As part of our fire coverage, NewWest.Net is posting here the email updates and press releases we get directly from fire camps as we get them. These do not replace our ongoing full coverage of the fires at www.newwest.net/fire, but supplement the information you get throughout the day with the updates we get throughout the day. We aim to give you all the information we get and here it is in its “unfiltered” form. For full stories, check back often at www.newwest.net/fire and continue to look for these updates from fire camps in the link box on the right-hand side of the page.

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