Rice Ridge Fire Wednesday Morning Update

Rice Ridge Fire Morning Update: A community meeting will be held Thursday (8/24) at 6pm at the Seeley Lake Elementary School. Thompson's Central Montana Type 2 Incident Management Team is now in charge of the fire.

The Rice Ridge Fire is still 16,117 acres and 9% contained. There are 535 firefighters assigned to the fire: 8 crews, 31 engines, 4 helicopters, 2 dozers, 16 water tenders and overhead personnel.

YESTERDAY: The Eastern Area Incident Management Team

transitioned command with Thompson's Central Montana

Incident Management Team. Due to unfavorable weather

conditions, there were no strategic firing operations conducted

on the southeast portion of the fire. Firefighters and helicopter

buckets continued to focus efforts on active portions of the fire

near Morrell Creek. There was increased activity on the eastern

portion of the fire as the area encountered higher heat and

winds. Crews continued fuels reduction operations on public

land north and east of the Double Arrow Ranch. The Morrell

Fire Lookout has not been damaged.

TODAY: Residents can expect to see increased fire conditions

as temperature and winds increase for the next several days.

Helicopters will be used to assist firefighting operations on the

west and southeast portions of the fire. Crews will begin

scouting additional containment lines on the northwest potion of the fire. Additionally, fire crews will be maintaining hose lays

and pumps to support suppression efforts along the indirect line

to the south and southeast. Fuels reduction work will be

expanded on the northeast side of the Double Arrow Ranch.

Sunny with temperatures reaching low 90's in the valley with winds increasing from the west and southwest at 10-15 mph. Relative humidity will be 10-25%. As temperatures and winds increase, expect to see active fire conditions materialize later in the afternoon.

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-recoveryservices/find-an-open-shelter.

Residents of the area should sign up for Smart911 at

http://www.smart911.com to ensure they receive messages

about potential evacuations. Recreationists are strongly urged

to keep clear of ongoing helicopter bucket operations on Seeley

Lake. Due to safety concerns, the lake could be closed again if

public fails to cooperate.

Incident Information: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/

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.

CLOSURES: The closure order in effect for the areas

surrounding the Rice Ridge Fire includes the Lodge Pole and

Monture Creek trails. A map and copies of the official closure

orders are posted on Inciweb. Big Larch campground is still

closed but the boat launch is open.

A temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in place. Be advised,

this restriction also applies to Drones. For more information:

http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_7_9440.html