Crews Quiet The Tongue - 90% Contained
Incident: Tongue Complex Wildland Fire
Released: 7/25/2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007 @ 10:00 a.m.
Public Information Officer - Debbie Santiago
Incident Command Post - Jordan Valley, Oregon
Today is the last fire update (#14) written by California's Type II South Central Sierra Interagency Incident Management Team under the leadership of Incident Commander Allen Johnson. We would like to especially acknowledge the tremendous support the community and businesses of Jordan Valley community have given us. Our experience here will long be remembered and we are proud to have served your community! Thank-you Jordan Valley for making us feel at home during these ongoing wildland fire suppression efforts on the Boulder Creek/Tongue Complex fires!
Fire information should be available at http://www.inciweb.org/. Fire information staff will also be available from the Boise BLM District Office @ 208-384-3444. The Boulder Creek fire remains controlled and burned a total of 4,350 acres. No fire activity has been observed for several days. The Tongue Complex is now 90% contained and remains at 46,680 acres. Today the BLM Boise District is working closely with our team and will take over command of the Tongue Complex tomorrow, Thursday, July 26th at 6:00 AM.
The Tongue Complex is being carefully monitored and worked on until it is certain that this large fire is out. Crews will continue to grid for hotspots and rehab dozer lines for the next week. BLM Fire Management will continue to work out of Boni Spike camp until full control is announced on July 28th as long as fire activity remains minimal.
A total of 308 fire personnel are assigned to the Tongue Complex. Many crews are being demobed back to home units. Fire season has proven to be demanding and crews are preparing for a long, hot summer. The breakdown of suppression resources assigned today include 1 Type I Hotshot crews, 3 Type II hand crews, 2 helicopters, 4 engines, 1 dozers, 10 water tenders, 3 camp crews and 92 overhead personnel. Helicopters will be used to drop water to help firefighters cool any lingering hotspots.
The Incident Command Post (ICP) is in Jordan Valley, Oregon, at the Jordan Valley High School. The ICP will be broken down tomorrow and most fire personnel will head home for rest and preparation for the next fire assignment. Remember to be fire safe this summer! Fuels remain bone dry and fire behavior extreme. Many firefighters have been injured and several accidents have already occurred. The 2007 wildland fire season has already broken many records as millions of acres continue to burn in many of our precious states. Many fire agencies are short on personnel and equipment as the season has just begun.
Due to extreme fire conditions, the US Forest Service and the BLM in Southwest Idaho will soon announce more stringent restrictions on fire use by the end of the week. Be prepared as Stage II fire restrictions will be enforced beginning Thursday, July, 26th. Wildland fire season is already severe! Protect your private property and make it defensible! Give firefighters a fighting chance! Visit http://www.nifc.gov/ or www.firewise.org
