Steve Goldman, Incident Commander for the Eastern Area Type 2 Incident Management Team addresses the community for the final time Monday night. His team is transitioning with the John Thompson's Type 2 Team from the Northern Rockies at 6 p.m. Tuesday evening.
Field Operations Chief Rich Schenk points to the area the team had hoped to burnout on Mount Morrell and below the lookout but were unable to because the winds caused too much spotting.
SEELEY LAKE – The community gathered at Seeley Lake Elementary for the seventh community meeting discussing the Rice Ridge Fire. The fire is now nearly 16,000 acres.
This week is a transition week as the Eastern Area Incident Management Team transitions command Tuesday at 6 p.m. to John Thompson's Northern Rockies Type 2 Team. Seeley Lake Elementary will no longer host the Team, they will be located south of town at the main firefighter camp.
Field Operations Chief Rich Schenk said the mission to close the backdoor down Mount Morrell and tie into the dozer line down to Cottonwood Lakes Road was not accomplished. The fuels were very difficult to burn in the wind because the trees kept throwing spots that were difficult to catch. However they did light from 6 p.m. – 12 a.m. Aug. 19 creating a good buffer around the wrapped lookout and burned off the top of the ridge.
Friday afternoon Aug. 18 the fire made nearly a four-mile push to the east travelling about a half mile per hour. This triggered multiple management action points including closing Lodgepole and Monture Creek Trailheads. Everyone was evacuated from the Lodgepole Trail system on Saturday and there was no one in the Monture Trailhead. The Seeley Lake Ranger District will continually monitor the closures and open them as soon as travel is safe in the area.
The entire Cottonwood Lakes Road is now closed from Monture Guard Station to SOS Road near Highway 83. The North Fork Trailhead is currently the only access to the wilderness from the Seeley Lake Ranger District.
There is continuous fuel that could allow the fire to move south towards the Cottonwood Lakes Road but the fire is currently sheltered from the winds. Once the fire backs down far enough into the Cottonwood Creek, North Fork of the Cottonwood and Dunham Creek drainages, it will align with the fuels, topography and downslope winds.
The area of most concern is Cottonwood Creek where the fire could move more quickly towards Cottonwood Lakes Road. Aerial resources and firefighters have been working it very hard to keep it from moving south.
Because the fuel loading is heavy in the Morrell Creek drainage on the south end of the fire, crews are seeing group tree torching and short crown runs causing containment problems in the area. Sunday evening, Aug. 20 embers crossed the road to Morrell Falls around the Auggie/Morrell cutoff and burned about five acres outside containment lines. Four helicopters dumped water on it and they are hoping to get crews in to hold it.
The fire has been backing slowing towards the indirect line on the west flank. Fire behavior predictions show in the next 14 days the fire has an 80 percent chance it will reach the containment line but only a 10 percent chance that it will cross the line.
The fire has been slowly moving to the north towards Morrell Falls. In addition to sparser fuels and moisture live fuels, the fire is working against the prevailing south, southwest winds and terrain. The plan is to continue monitoring the fire to the north and east. Fire behavior models predict that the fire could breach the Swan Range and get into the Bob Marshall Wilderness within the next 14 days but it is not likely.
There is another storm system coming in Thursday that will bring winds and thunderstorms followed by a cold front. Incident Command Steve Goldman reminded the community that the evacuation warning is still in place and "please be ready."
The right side of the boat launch at Big Larch Campground is open however the day-use area and the campground are still closed due to the evacuation warning. The Liberty Fire road closures on the Seeley Lake Ranger District have been lifted. These include the Jocko Lakes Road, Archibald Loop Road and Fawn Creek Road.
The next community meeting is 6 p.m. Aug. 24 at Seeley Lake Elementary.
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