Rice Ridge Fire Morning Update: The Fire Information Board at Valley Market will continue to be staffed by Rice Ridge Fire information officers along with Missoula County Sheriff's department representatives.
A community meeting will be held tonight at 6 p.m. at the Seeley Lake Community Hall and tomorrow, Sept. 1 at the Ovando Elementary School at 6 p.m.
Important: Drones are prohibited in the fire vicinity &have the potential to shut down all air operations. A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) remains in place. (http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_7_9440.html).33,365 acres and 18% contained
Total Personnel: 682
YESTERDAY: Fire growth was concentrated primarily to the northwest and southeast. Active fire behavior was checked with the use of aircraft and ground crews in the Murphy Creek and Sawyer Creek drainages. Fire line in the Morrell Creek area was held, limiting any significant advances towards the community of Seeley Lake. Strong afternoon winds across the northwest flank of the fire downed trees and caused erratic fire behavior, forcing crews to disengage for periods of time. Crews continued to prep the Cottonwood Lakes Road to the east by removing fuel and installing hose lays and sprinkler systems. Crews began operating hoses and wetting fuels to the east as fire nears the Cottonwood Lakes Road corridor. Night operations continued as crews worked to slow the spread of spots on the eastern edge of the fire and across the perimeter.
TODAY: Weather conditions could lead to active behavior across the fire perimeter. Crews will continue indirect line construction on the north end of the fire, working to tie new line into the 2015 Morrell Complex burn scar. Spot fire activity will be monitored and engaged across the fire perimeter. Crews will continue to check and hold growth in the Morrell Creek and Seeley Creek area, as fire managers identify opportunities to construct direct fire line. East along the Cottonwood Lakes Road personnel will attempt to hold fire north of the road and slow growth with the support of aircraft as weather and visibility permit. Hose lays and sprinkler systems have been installed and will be staffed throughout the day. Ground crews will use water to wet fuels and limit fire growth to the south.
A red flag warning is in effect until 9:00 p.m. High temperatures are expected to be in the lower 80's with a low relative humidity around 20%. The forecast calls for partly cloudy skies. Afternoon and evening sustained winds of 8 mph top 10 mph could produce gusts up to 20 mph out of the west and northwest.
EVACUATIONS: The Missoula County Sheriff has issued multiple evacuation ORDERS and WARNINGS. The map attached DOES NOT include the new warnings north of Seeley Lake that were issued yesterday.
A shelter site is located at the UCC Church, 405 University Avenue, Missoula MT. Anyone seeking shelter may call the Red Cross of Montana at 1-800-272-6668. Residents of the area should sign up for Smart911 at https://www.smart911.com/ to ensure they receive messages about potential evacuations. Monday's evacuation order affected 1,028 address points.
CLOSURES: A closure order in effect for the areas surrounding the Rice Ridge Fire is posted on Inciweb. Big Larch Campground, Big Larch boat launch, Seeley Lake Campground boat launch, Canoe Trail and Seeley Lake waters are closed due to aerial operations related to Rice Ridge Fire suppression efforts.
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