Firefighters Gaining Ground On Area Fires

Firefighters made great progress Tuesday after the fire received good moisture on Monday and containment has increased to 51%. “We still have half the fire to get around but we’re feeling good about the safe, steady progress made by our firefighters,” said Chris Delaney, Incident Commander Trainee. The fire area did not get much rain on Tuesday but significant precipitation is possible over the fire this afternoon. As conditions allow, firefighters will be working on the fire’s edge to further increase containment and eliminate any further threat. A plane with an infrared camera has not been able to fly over the fire for the past two nights because of the weather so there is no updated acreage. The camera not only measures fire growth but also helps detect remaining hot spots. Some smoldering fuel, such as stumps and roots, is common, even after heavy rain. Renewed fire activity remains possible if the area dries out and there is no additional moisture. Temperatures are forecast to be in the mid-90’s all this week. Because of the progress and favorable weather, some resources are beginning to be released from the fire. Two large, “heavy” helicopters and four crews were released at the end of the day Tuesday.

Halfway Hill Update

The Halfway Hill Fire is now considered 80% contained. The Fishlake National Forest issued a new smaller area closure for the Halfway Hill Fire. This order opens the Paiute 01 Trail, while Chalk Creek (FR-100) and Sand Rock(FR-103) remain closed. Areas of steep and rugged terrain with limited access continue to be challenging for suppression efforts. Firefighters are completing indirect line segments and securing control line while monitoring completed areas for any additional threats. Minimal smoke will be visible during the warmer hours of the day, while interior pockets continue to burn. Rehabilitation work is still in progress on portions of the fire and a Burn Area Emergency Response (BAER) team is completing their assessments on potential threats to wildlife, archeological sites, residences, and infrastructure. The BAER team is assisting with stabilization actions to reduce the impacts of erosion and runoff. Monitoring cameras and gauges have been placed in strategic locations to provide fire visuals and increased runoff warnings. Possible scattered showers and thunderstorms could develop over the higher elevation areas of the fire Wednesday through the end of the week. Overall rainfall totals are not expected to be especially large.