Fire Update
Incident: Bielenburg Fire Wildfire
Released: 7/22/2009
Bielenburg Fire Update
July 22, 2009
Start date: July 12, 2009; discovered July 19 Contact: Gary Hoshide, Information Officer
Phone: (406) 693-7608 (new number)
Cause: Lightning
Location: Ten miles north of Anaconda, 11 miles southwest of Deer Lodge.
Current Size: 175 Acres on the Pintler Ranger District, Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest
Resources Assigned: Approximately 200 firefighters and support personnel are assigned to the incident along with two helicopters and three fire engines.
Closures: An area closure is in effect for the National Forest Lands generally within the Dempsey, Racetrack, and Bielenberg drainages for public safety reasons. See Closure Order No. 2009-D8-021 for specific location descriptions.
Current Status: Good progress was made on Tuesday as firefighters completed line and started mopping up on the southeast flank of the fire. On the northeast flank, firefighters started removing hazardous trees and mopping up hot spots along the perimeter. Fire managers are starting a risk assessment and management options to manage the west flank over the long term.
Planned Actions: The primary objective is to keep the fire north of Racetrack Creek and keep it from moving south and east onto private lands. On Wednesday, firefighters will work to mop up any hot spots for at least 40 yards inside the fire perimeter and continue to look for and extinguish any spots outside containment lines.
Safety Concerns: To date no accidents or injuries have been reported. The fire is burning in mountain pine beetle-killed lodgepole pine in steep, rocky terrain. Numerous snags create a safety hazard.
Weather: Temperatures are expected to be warmer each day this week as a high pressure ridge strengthens over the area. A thermal belt over the fire area has kept night time temperatures in the 60's with poor humidity recovery. This pattern is expected to continue through the week. On Wednesday, temperatures at the fire are expected to be in the 70's with relative humidity ranging from 22-25%.
Cooperating Agencies: Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC), Powell County, U.S.Forest Service.
For further information, please contact www.inciweb.org
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