Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884

Fish Wildfire under control

Thanks to the diligent work of local crews in the days after the blaze began, a little luck when it came to the weather and the arrival of a top-level management team, the worst of the Fish Wildfire had passed by the end of last week.

Though the border continued to creep outwards, and the fire continued to threaten a number of homes in the area, no structures were reported lost and no injuries were reported among the firefighting crews.

Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team (RMCIM) assumed command of the fire on Wednesday morning under Incident Commander Dan Dallas. Type 1 teams are able to provide overhead supervision and logistical support to complex incidents when local teams reach capacity.

A closure went into place also on Wednesday morning for National Forest Service lands within the area affected for public safety and to allow for safe egress of fire vehicles in the vicinity. At that time, the fire was reported to be 10% contained and had grown very little, estimated at 6476 acres.

Active suppression efforts were ongoing, including multiple helicopters and air tankers making water and retardant drops while firefighters built containment lines and provided structure protection.

The cooler, cloudy weather that rolled in late on Tuesday afternoon was helpful to the suppression efforts, allowing the air resources and the dozers and hand crews to construct direct fireline to the west and north flanks of the fire. Engines were focused on structure protection on private lands where the fire was checked in some locations by hay fields.

On Wednesday, the fire was still most active to the east and south, entering more rugged terrain as it climbed in elevation. A report from RCMIM stated that good progress had been made on containment lines along Highway 585 and tying the fire's edge to natural control features, such as hay meadows and roads.

At the north end of the fire, near Fish Mountain, firefighters were working to smooth out jagged edges where the fire did not burn cleanly in order to strengthen containment lines. On the eastern perimeter, near Elkhorn Divide, firefighters were constructing containment lines along the edge of the fire and existing roads.

Fireline was completed at the south end of the fire on Tuesday, including on the portion of the fire that slopped over the road.

Overall on Wednesday, containment efforts that had been ongoing since the fire started on Sunday afternoon were paying off and confidence was growing that it would soon be brought under control. According to operations section chief for RMCIM Travis Lipp, the cool night had allowed crews and equipment to engage closer to the fire line, especially to the north and east, where the fire had been unchecked.

"We've got resources spread out across the entire fire line," he said during a press briefing on Wednesday morning.

Crews were planning to continue taking advantage of the weather, Lipp added. Help was continuing to arrive at a steady pace, with the number of personnel working the fire doubling overnight to reach an estimated 400 to 500.

"We're just continuing to secure the line," Lipp said. "We fully anticipate, today and tomorrow, for that containment to go up."

Fire activity to the north meant it was heading towards more rugged terrain between Fish Mountain and Hooker Peak. To the east, however, the terrain in the path of the fire was gentler, with rolling hills, which meant more access for the engines.

Despite the increase in confidence, the crews were keeping a close eye on the forecast. Thursday promised temperatures up to 100 degrees F and low humidity, with stronger winds.

"We always take real notice on those days for potentially large fire growth," he said. "We're already planning for that."

Around 20 homes south of Canyon Springs Road and east of Highway 585 remained under evacuation on Wednesday. Up to 30 structures had been threatened during the initial run of the fire.

"They still are, to an extent," said Lipp, but resources had been utilized around them to mitigate the danger.

Said Fire Warden Doug Leis, not a single structure had been lost at that time – not even an outbuilding.

Lipp praised the local teams that worked the fire when it first started and those who responded to the all-county callout on Monday evening.

"We just picked up where they left off," he said, adding that Crook County should be very proud of its firefighters.

By the next morning, the Fish Wildfire was 20% contained and had only grown by around 200 acres. Crews continued to work on establishing and improving the firelines.

A spot fire several acres in size had been detected to the south and was contained, while other resources worked on pockets of heat and unburned fuels near the line to the north and northeast.

Overnight, crews had prioritized these areas and worked to remove the vegetation and extinguish heat sources. The north end was a focus due to the presence of homes in the area and the possibility of active fire behavior.

Thursday's overall strategy was much the same as it had been on Wednesday: build and secure firelines and burn out pockets of fuel to strengthen the lines, while patrolling and mopping up. Heavy equipment and crews were used to continue line construction and mitigation around structures.

Progress continued at the north end of the fire to construct a contingency line, allowing for a second line of defense. Firefighters also worked to place fireline around the spot fire to the south.

An approximate total of 420 personnel were working on the Fish Wildfire on Thursday, though the number fluctuated as resources checked in or were released. The total fire size was now estimated at 6668 acres.

On Friday morning, the evacuation order was lifted after a full day with minimal fire activity and no growth. Crews continued to take advantage of higher humidity and cooler temperatures, focusing on the area where most of the activity and heat had been.

In that area on the east side of the fire, heavy fuels near the line and steep slopes had created a challenge. Firefighters had concentrated on the small "slop overs" that required extra care to secure, though, fortunately, conditions were still good for direct operations.

By Saturday, the fire was 73% contained. "Search and destroy" tactics were still in use on the firelines, while work was ongoing to connect uncontained firelines. During the night, a little rainfall brought moisture to some parts of the fire.

Sunday was the final shift for the RMCIM Type 1 Team, with control handed back to the local Type 3 team led by Incident Commander Timothy Sherwin on Monday morning. On Sunday, containment was reported to be 94% after another day of securing firelines, patrolling and mopping up heat sources.

Late afternoon and into the night on Saturday, thunderstorms had helped out by dropping a little more rain, which meant that firefighters needed to work with extra caution on Sunday. Across most of the fire, equipment was removed as it was no longer needed, then reconditioned and made available for use elsewhere.

Suppression repair continued, including distribution of slash along dozer and hand lines to prevent soil erosion and water channeling, which helps to restore plant growth. Patrols and mop-up continued.

The Monday report from the Fish Wildfire listed its total size as 6793 acres, with 251 personnel still working to contain it. The fire was human caused and is under investigation.