Fire Update
Incident: Bielenburg Fire Wildfire
Released: 7/23/2009
Bielenburg Fire Update
July 23, 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: 177 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: The north, east, and south flanks of the fire are considered contained. This means that a fuel break has been established in those areas and the spread of the fire in that direction has been stopped. Fire specialists are assessing management options, including a long-term management plan, for the west side. No decisions have been made.
Jess Secrest's Incident Management Team will transition with a smaller organization to manage the fire starting Friday, July 24. The team will support about 40 firefighters, two fire engines, and one helicopter.
On Wednesday, firefighters focused their efforts on north, east, and southern flanks, continuing to mop up and grid for spot fires. The fire became a little more active in the afternoon and burned through the retardant line on the west side.
Planned Actions: On Thursday, an early morning infra-red flight is planned that will help identify any remaining pockets of heat for firefighters to extinguish. Actions will continue to transition to a smaller organization on Friday. Expect to see more smoke this afternoon when temperatures rise and humidity drops.
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: Hot and dry weather dominates the forecast over western Montana for the next few days with a chance of thunderstorms on Friday. Expect temperatures in the mid 80's, with a relative humidity of less than 20%. This combination could make the fire burn more actively.
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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