Castle Rock Fire Morning Update - September 4, 200
Incident: Castle Rock Wildland Fire
Released: 9/4/2007
After a long tough fight, the Castle Rock Fire has been 100% contained and handlines and bulldozer lines completely surround the 48,520 acre fire. While yesterday was a critical fire danger day, the containment lines held, although interior smokes continue to be visible. Interior areas of the fire will continue to burn and smoke may continue to be present in the area until the fire is under control.
Mop up and rehabilitation of interior fireline will continue today. Crews will be rehabilitating dozer lines and handlines around Seattle Lodge, Bassett and Alturas ridges, and in the headwaters of Cow Creek. Crews will also be building water bars on the slopes of Greenhorn Creek; fire managers are concerned about this area due to the steep slopes and the loss of vegetation as there is a possibility of heavy rains in the area over the next several days. There is a Red Flag warning today for thunderstorms and possible wind gusts up to 40 to 50 mph. In the event of rain, wind, and lightning, fire crews may be temporarily pulled off the lines due to safety concerns.
Yesterday, crews continued mop up 500 feet within the perimeter of the fire. There was some interior burning in the Warm Springs area that was very visible to the public, but the fire remained within the containment lines and no problems were encountered. Rehabilitation work began yesterday west of Greenhorn Subdivision and south of Mahoney Butte with crews placing water bars on steep slopes, smoothing down berms from dozer lines, and camouflaging handlines and dozer lines.
Resources fighting this fire today include 919 firefighters including 9 helicopters, 3 bulldozers, 23 hand crews and 49 engines. No lives or structures have been lost.
A Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation Team (BAER Team... see "The BAER Team" news release) has completed preliminary evaluations of the fire area, assessing the severity of the fire in various areas as well as stabilization needs in the immediate future. The team will create a complete comprehensive plan to respond to the specific needs of the Castle Rock Fire. The BAER program has the goal of protecting life, property, water quality, and deteriorated ecosystems from further damage after the fire is out. Concerns include post-fire effects on watersheds, fish, wildlife, archeological sites and endangered species.
Voluntary evacuations remain for the area west of Gates Road along Warm Springs Road. Advisory Status warnings are in effect for all other neighborhoods east of Highway 75, including the Golden Eagle, Timber Gulch subdivisions, and St. Luke's Hospital. For more information on the voluntary and advisory evacuations please contact Blaine County at http://www.blainecounty.org/ or call the Joint Information Center at 726-7811.Stage two fire restrictions are in place with the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.
Closures: The Sawtooth National Forest has established a closure area for public safety. The area includes the entire Ketchum Ranger District within the Big Wood River drainage and a portion of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. For specific information and a map, log on to http://www.inciweb.org/.
