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Fire on Battle Creek, Day Four

25 Jul

Today, we got blessed rain.  It’s a little hard on the hay that we have mowed and down, but the country is so dry that we are thankful. I expect that it slowed the fire down some.  Tomorrow we hope to finish docking the tail-end lambs.  They are in the Forks Allotment, closest to the fire.  If it’s not too muddy to get in, we should be able to  process these lambs before they get any bigger!

West Battle Creek Fire

Approximate Location

41.126 latitude, -107.12 longitude

Incident Overview

Helicopter Bucket Drops On The West Battle Creek Fire, Noon, July 24Image options: [ Enlarge ] [ Full Size ]

– Thursday’s operations call for continued air operations, establishment of hand line, locating and securing spot fires

– There are close to 100 fire personnel assigned to the West Battle Creek Fire. Wildland fire module, county engines, one helicopter and dozer were released prior to Thursday operations

– 1/10 of an inch of rain fell on the fire Wednesday night.

– An Infrared (IR) flight was scheduled for Wednesday night, but was cancelled due to weather. They will try again Thursday night. This heat seeking device allows firefighters to identify hot spots that may not be seen during daylight hours.

– Starting Thursday’s operational period, the West Battle Creek Fire is still approximately 103 acres in the Sierra Madre Range, Medicine Bow National Forest.

– The fire is 10% contained

– The burn pattern of this fire is spotty and has predominantly grown by spotting and creeping. The majority of the fire area is on private land, with some U.S. Forest Service land in the burn area as well.

– Thursday forecast for cool, cloudy weather with a chance of showers and thunderstorms

– Growth potential is moderate. The fire is primarily active in the heavy fuels, which are still very dry. Fire is creeping, w-short-range spotting

– A local Type III Incident Command Team took over command of the fire early Tuesday, IC is Jerrod Delay and trainee is Chris Rankin

– Located in the West Battle Creek drainage, near the confluence with Haggarty Creek. Two miles west of the Huston Park Wilderness boundary, one mile south of Wyo Hwy 70, Battle Highway

– Resources working the fire include one USFS engine, three Type II hand crews, one SEAT and two Type III helicopters. A Type I helicopter is available as needed.

– Fire is burning in heavy, beetle-killed lodgepole pine and mixed conifer. Steep, rugged terrain with difficult access

– Cause is lightning

– Isolated cabins in the area

– Initial attack mid-day Monday by U.S. Forest Service engine (Brush Creek/Hayden Ranger District) and Carbon Co. engines

Basic Information

Incident Type Wildfire
Cause Lightning
Date of Origin Monday July 22nd, 2013 approx. 12:00 PM
Location T 13, R 87W, Section 1
Incident Commander Delay / Rankin (trainee)

Current Situation

Total Personnel 80
Size 103 acres
Percent Contained 45%
Fuels Involved Heavy beetle-kill lodgepole pine, mixed conifer
Fire Behavior Creeping, isolated/group torching, short-range spotting

Outlook

Planned Actions Continue air operations, direct & indirect hand line construction. Identify & secure spot fires
Terrain Difficulty Extreme

Unit Information

USFS Shield

Medicine Bow National Forest & Thunder Basin National Grassland
U.S. Forest Service
2468 Jackson Street
Laramie, WY 82070

Incident Contact

Fire Information
Phone: 307-745-2378

Recent Articles

Incident Cooperators

U.S. Forest Service Bureau of Land Managemen Bureau of Indian Affairs Fish and Wildlife Service National Park Service National Association of State Foresters U.S. Fire Administration

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Posted by on July 25, 2013 in Events

 

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