Rice Ridge Fire Sunday Morning Update

Rice Ridge Fire Morning Update: The next community meeting will be held Monday, Aug. 14 at 6pm at the Seeley Lake Elementary School.

The Rice Ridge Fire only grew a couple hundred acres yesterday. It is currently 11,277 acres with 10% containment. There are 581 Firefighters assigned to the fire: 11 crews, 35 engines, 4 helicopters, 2 dozers, 17 water tenders and overhead personnel.

YESTERDAY: Heavy smoke cover shaded the fire throughout the day and slowed activity more than expected, despite a Red Flag Warning. Small growth and limited group tree torching were observed in isolated locations on the western portion of the fire. Minor activity was also seen in the Swamp Creek area, where the wet drainage bottom slowed fire growth. Indirect line construction is nearing completion along the southeast and western portions of the fire. Fuels mitigation work was completed along Cottonwood Lakes Road, between West Morrell Road and the North Fork of Cottonwood Creek. As line construction and fuels work wrapped up around the southeast portions of the fire, heavy equipment was moved to the northwest end of the fire where indirect line construction continues to be a priority.

TODAY: Fire managers are anticipating lower fire activity through much of the fire area. Firefighters will be utilizing heavy equipment on the northwest end of the fire to tie in to the ridge of Findell Creek. Crews will be reinforcing and plumbing indirect line along the line from Morrell Mountain Lookout and Cottonwoods Lake Road. Fuels mitigation will begin on public land just north of the Double Arrow Ranch.

A cold front will be moving into the area this afternoon, bringing much cooler temperatures, breezy conditions, higher humidity and scattered showers with isolated thunderstorms. Lower fire activity is forecasted throughout the day as the cold front brings lowering temperatures and higher relative humidity.

Fire information booths will be staffed at the Valley Market and Rovero's Hardware Store on Highway 83 from 11am to 6pm.

In the event of an evacuation, the American Red Cross will open a shelter. It is located at the Potomac Community Center, 29827 Potomac Rd., in Potomac. The shelter is on standby, anyone seeking to pre-evacuate that requires assistance or sheltering may call the Red Cross of Montana at 1-800-272-6668. Evacuees are urged to call before leaving for the shelter, as cell phone service is limited at the shelter. More info at http://www.redcross.org/get-help/disaster-relief-and-recovery-services/find-an-open-shelter.

ADVISORIES: As a reminder, the evacuation warning issued within areas of Seeley Lake (including Double Arrow Ranch), remains in effect and residents are urged to be prepared. Residents adjacent to these areas should remain vigilant.

Residents of the area should sign up for Smart911 at http://www.smart911.com to ensure they receive any emergency messages about potential evacuations.

Crews, engines, and heavy equipment use public roads traveling to and from their daily assignments. Residents are urged to slow down and be aware while driving through the area to ensure everyone's safety.

CLOSURES: A closure order is still in effect for the areas surrounding the Rice Ridge Fire. A map and copies of the official closure orders are available on Inciweb. Seeley Lake, the body of water, is still closed to all recreation activities due to aircraft scooping water and will be in effect through the weekend.

The temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) over the fire has been extended to the south and east. This restriction applies to drones as well. For more information: http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_7_9440.html