Condon Mountain Fire Fact Sheet - October 4
Incident: Condon Mountain Fire Wildfire
Released: 10/4/2012
FACT SHEET
Condon Mountain Fire
Swan Lake Ranger District
October 4, 2012 7:45 a.m.
NEW Information Contact: Wade Muehlhof, (406) 758-5252
NEW Email: ewmuehlhof@fs.fed.us
Incident: The Condon Mountain Fire was started by lightning on 7/28.
Location: Approximately 4 miles northeast of Condon, MT.
Agency Jurisdiction: USFS, Flathead National Forest; Montana DNRC, Swan River State Forest
Cooperating Agencies: Swan Valley Rural Fire Dept., Lake County Sheriff's Office, Missoula County Sheriff's Office, Missoula County OES, Lake County OES, Swan Ecosystem Center
Incident Commander: Michael Woods, Type III Incident Management Team (IMT). The Incident Command Post (ICP) is located at the Condon Work Center.
Current Size: 5,265 acres
Containment: 50% Structures Threatened: 12
Status: The fire is burning in heavy timber with numerous, standing snags. The area consists of steep, hazardous terrain with high potential for rollout and spotting. The fire is located just west of the Bob Marshall Wilderness and is visible from Highway 83. There are structures in the Swan Valley between McKay and Cooney Creeks within 1½ miles of the current fire perimeter. Structure protection has been established. All residents east of Highway 83 in the Condon area are under a "Ready" Stage 1 Alert for the potential of a future evacuation. However, there are no evacuations in effect at this time. An air quality monitor has been set up at Condon Work Center. To monitor the local air quality, go to http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/smoke.pl and select "Smoke 24."
Yesterday's Activities: The fire area received about .15 inch precipitation yesterday with snow down to the 4500 foot level. Fire activity was minimal with isolated interior backing fire, smoldering, and creeping. Mop up work, or extinguishing all fire within 60 feet of the handline, was conducted between Smith Creek and Cooney Creek. Rehabilitation work of the constructed containment line was continued. Between Condon and Smith Creeks, an engine was used to patrol the line and monitor for hotspots.
Current Resources: One 20-person crew (Flathead Hotshots), one engine, two pieces of heavy equipment, one water tender, and two helicopters. Total personnel: 50.
Today's Activities: Cold, dry weather is predicted for the next several days with daytime highs around 50 degrees and relative humidity in the 20-30% range. Crews will continue with mop up work along the handline between Smith and Cooney Creeks and an engine will continue to patrol the line between Condon and Smith Creeks. Rehabilitation work of the constructed containment line will continue south of Cooney Lookout.
Restrictions/Closures: There is an Area Closure around the fire for public safety, which includes closure of Trail #29 (Smith-Little Salmon), Trail #192 (East Foothill) and the Cooney Lookout. Trails #415 and #42 remain open. The Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) around the fire area has been lifted, but the Condon Airstrip remains closed to all non-fire aircraft.
For future updates, visit: http://www.inciweb.org/; Select "Condon Mountain
