Jocko Lakes Fire Morning Update: Sept. 4

By Jocko Lakes Fire Information, Guest Writer, 9-04-07

Monday, September 3, 2007 – 8 a.m. MDT Daily Update
Fire: Jocko Lakes
Acres: 36,060*
% Contained: 93%
Cost: $26,969,611
Total Personnel: 475
* Change in acreage due to more accurate mapping

WHAT’S NEW & EVENTS:
The Pacific Northwest National Incident Management Team 2 is transitioning with a Type 3 team (Mike Wiederhold) today, leaving approximately 100 personnel assigned to the incident. Wiederhold will assume command of the fire at 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday.

A public meeting is scheduled tonight at 8 p.m. at Seeley Lake Elementary School. Morning and evening closures for Placid Lake Drive and North Boy Scout Road have been rescinded.

Today is the last version of the daily update and posting of information to the www.pnw2.com website. Tomorrow, any new information regarding this incident will be posted to www.inciweb.org. A huge thanks to the community of Seeley Lake for your ongoing support during this incident.

JOCKO LAKES FIRE STATUS: Yesterday, crews continued with mop up and rehabilitation of interior dozer lines. Rehab was started on the contingency line on the W flank and the power line. Smoke from other fires created limited visibility and restricted air operations for a portion of the day. Some residual heat remains in the interior portions of the fire. The heavier fuels will continue to smolder for some time but do not pose a threat to the containment lines. A portion of the W flank that was left unlined due to firefighter safety concerns will be monitored by air and kept in check with aerial resources. Rehabilitation work will continue on private and US Forest Service lands. Expected full containment of the fire is October 1, 2007.

OVANDO FIRE STATUS: Rehabilitation efforts have been completed on this fire.

FIRE FACTS: Started: August 3, 2007; Cause: Lightning; Location: west of Seeley Lake; Resources: 11 hand crews, 2 helicopters, 11 engines, 4 dozers, 11 water tenders, 1 camp crew, and 213 overhead.

SAFETY CONCERNS: Steep terrain, snags, bears.

WEATHER: A weather disturbance is expected to track across Oregon and southern Idaho the next few days which will bring cooler weather and increased moisture to the region. This will keep cool temperatures and higher humidities over the fire with lighter winds. The weather pattern remains cool for the remainder of the week. Today, increasing clouds with isolated showers and thunderstorms. Wind gusts to 40 mph near any thunderstorms. High temps 70-75 ridges to 80-84 valleys. Rh 20-24% valleys to 23-27% ridges. Ridgetop winds W 10-15 mph becoming NW 15-20 mph in the afternoon. Upslope/upvalley 6-8 mph becoming NW 8-12 mph. Weak inversion breaking around 9 a.m.

COOPERATING AGENCIES & PARTNERS: Montana DNRC, The Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation, Lolo NF, Missoula County Sheriff’s Office, Seeley Lake Fire Department, Missoula Rural Fire, Missoula

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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