Pump Station Fire 85% Contained
Incident: Pump Station Wildland Fire
Released: 8/2/2008
Pump Station Fire 85% Contained
DILLON, MONT., August 2, 2008, 5:00 PM - Firefighters gained the upper hand on the Pump Station Fire Saturday. Eighty five percent of the fire is contained. Milder temperatures and light cloud cover provided good conditions for fire crews as they continued to secure the fire's perimeter and mop up isolated pockets of fire activity near the fire line. One helicopter dumped water on interior hot spots. The fire did not increase is size and has consumed approximately 160 acres.
The Pump Station fire is about 2 miles west of Divide, Montana, north of state highway 43 burning on private property and public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). No structures or private property have been lost or are currently threatened.
The road closure through the Fleecer Mountain Wildlife Management Area will be lifted at midnight Saturday. Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks closed road #447 Friday for public safety because the fire is burning near the western boundary of the game range. Also, 1.2 miles of the Big Hole River between Silver Bridge and Divide Bridge that is closed to all recreational use will be opened at midnight. Fire helicopters have been dipping water out of the Big Hole at that location which is only two minutes flight time from the fire, but that activity will be suspended Sunday unless conditions warrant resuming water dumps.
About 70 total firefighters and support staff are working the Pump Station fire, including one 20 person crew of Indian firefighters from Ronan and one 20 person Forest Service crew from Missoula.
