#BeaverCreekFire update: -- Fire Less Active Saturday The number of personnel fighting the Beaver Creek Fire in the Hailey-Ketchum area is now at 1066. Fire activity Saturday was not the type of extreme behavior seen on Thursday and Friday, though the fire continued to grow. The fire’s size is now estimated at 100,916 acres, with containment at 9 percent. Public meetings yesterday in Hailey and Ketchum drew nearly 500 people in each town. Incident Commander Beth Lund told fire fighters at this morning’s daily briefing “the people really appreciate what you’re doing,” while she also acknowledged the anxiety being felt by residents, evacuees and visitors who are being impacted by this fire. Another Red Flag fire weather warning has been issued for today starting at 1 p.m. because of warmer temperatures and gusty winds. Fire Behavior Analyst Tobin Kelley says we could see “early active fire behavior” today. Yesterday, aircraft and ground crews worked to secure containment lines along the Highway 75 corridor between Hailey and Ketchum. A bull dozer line which runs from the top of the ski area to near the Ketchum hospital will be reinforced with retardant drops today. Yesterday, a DC-10 “Very Large Air Tanker” was used to create a line of retardant above the Croy Creek area, in an effort to prevent further spread to the south and southwest. On the north side, the fire has moved to within two miles of Highway 75 and is burning in the Kendall Gulch drainage. Crews will continue to work to protect structures in that area in advance of the fire. At 6 o’clock this morning, John Kidd’s Type 2 Incident Management Team assumed control of the western portion of the Beaver Creek Fire, now known as Zone 1. Zone 1 begins at the top of Kinsey Creek and runs north to Baker Peak, and includes all fire west of the Camas/Blaine County line. The two teams are working in close coordination to gain control of the entire Beaver Creek Fire. Both Zones working on the Beaver Fire are utilizing a shared aviation operation, including the 13 helicopters operating out the Simon helibase. Fire activity was subdued in this area yesterday due to the cloud cover and resulting higher humidity. Resources from the McCan Fire were transitioned to Zone 1, where they assisted in constructing dozer line on the southernmost tip of the fire, near the Zone break. The primary objectives on Zone 1 are to limit spread to the west into Ditto Flat and to the east towards Croy Creek, to protect bull trout habitat in the Little Smoky drainage, and to secure the perimeter on the western side. At this time, the area of greatest concern for Zone 1 is north of Dollarhide Summit, where the fire has burned over the ridge and into the East Fork drainage of Big Peak Creek. Another area of concern is south of Dollarhide Summit, in the head of Pine Creek, where difficult terrain and limited access will create challenges. Fire crews working in this vicinity will be deposited by helicopter and then camp out near the fire perimeter. Details about the fire are available at inciweb.org/incident/3635/. Current evacuation information can also be found at blainesheriff. Residents can register for the Everbridge emergency alert system at BlaineCounty.org by clicking on the Emergency Alert Program tab on the left hand side of the page. Fire information lines are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. at 877-647-0663, 877-711-1333 and 877-640-3904.
Posted on: Sun, 18 Aug 2013 18:02:46 +0000
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