Rice Ridge Fire Morning Update: A community meeting will be held Thursday, Aug. 17 at 6pm at the Seeley Lake Elementary School.
The Rice Ridge Fire grew around 300 acres and is now 12,091 acres. It remains at 10% containment with 589 Firefighters assigned to the fire: 11 crews, 35 engines, 7 helicopters, 2 dozers, 20 water tenders and overhead personnel.
YESTERDAY: The most active portion of the fire continued to burn in the Swamp Creek and Morrell Mountain areas. Indirect line construction and fuel breaks were completed along the entire western perimeter of the fire. Indirect control line around the northwest portion of the fire is now connected to the 2015 Morrell Complex burn scar. Fuels treatments were completed around the northeast corner of the Double Arrow development (southwest corner of the fire area). Prep work is completed for strategic firing operations, however erratic winds prevented crews from igniting.
TODAY: Crews will begin strategic firing operations today with a test burn located near Morrell Mountain. If conditions permit, crews will commence firing operations this afternoon, beginning with creating a blackened area that will function as a safety zone for personnel working in the area. Firing operations have the potential to produce a significant amount of smoke that will be visible from many locations in town. Aircraft will be used throughout the day to reinforce indirect lines with retardant on the southeast portion of the fire. Crews will continue to monitor all other portions of the fire for new growth. Indirect lines are reinforced with pumps and hoses which personnel will continually test and inspect.
Today will be clear skies with a high temperature of 80 degrees. Winds will be out of the northwest with gusts of up to 20 miles per hour. Relative humidity levels will drop to 15% this afternoon.Fire behavior will be active with low relative humidity and westerly but variable winds.
Fire information booths will be staffed at the Valley Market and Rovero's Hardware Store on Highway 83 from 11am to 6pm.
Air Quality: For current air quality information please visit inciweb to view the most recent report.
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.
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 likely be in effect through the weekend.
A temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in place. This restriction applies to drones as well. For more information: http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_7_9440.html
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