Cascade Fire
Location: 10 miles west of Red Lodge, Carbon Co., MT
Specific Location: Custer NF, Beartooth RD, Rock Creek area, Lat 45° 10´ 24″ Lon 109° 26´ 22″
Date of Origin: 07/26/2008
Cause: Under investigation
Situation as of 08/12/08 6:45 PM
Total Personnel: 85
Size: 10,173 acres
Percent Contained: 85%
Costs to Date: $8,398,760
More hot spots starting show up with return of warmer and drier weather.
Transfer of command from McBratney’s Type 3 Team to Buhl’s Type 3 team will occur at 0600 tomorrow. Demob continues. This will be the last update to the 209 unless significant events occur. Information and updates on the fire will be available at the Beartooth Ranger District starting on 8/13.
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Situation as of 08/11/08 5:00 PM
Total Personnel: 124
Size: 10,173 acres
Percent Contained: 85%
Costs to Date: $8,283,593
Bucket work on Division Y today. Rehab of handline work was done in A and B today. Engines continued mop-up along the West Fork of Rock Creek today. Transition to a smaller team to work with the District scheduled for 8/13. Tumble Creek was monitored by air. Demob continues.
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Situation as of 08/10/08 5:00 PM
Total Personnel: 109
Size: 10,173 acres
Percent Contained: 85%
Costs to Date: $8,169,091
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Situation as of 08/09/08 5:00 PM
Total Personnel: 136
Size: 10,173 acres
Percent Contained: 85%
Costs to Date: $8,060,480
Light rain over parts of the fire today. Engines worked along West Fork Rock Creek Road mopping up. Assisted Tumble Creek Incident with Palm IR flight today and GPS-ed interior hotspots.
As per the long term plan, the west and southwest sides of the fire will be allowed to burn into natural containment areas.
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Situation as of 08/08/08 5:00 PM
Total Personnel: 175
Size: 10,173 acres
Percent Contained: 85%
Costs to Date: $7,903,895
Size of the Area closure in the West Fork of Rock Creek has been reduced. Crews are continuing to mop-up. As per the long term plan, the west and southwest sides of the fire will be allowed to burn into natural containment areas.
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Situation as of 08/07/08 6:00 PM
Total Personnel: 228
Size: 10,173 acres
Percent Contained: 85%
Costs to Date: $7,755,000
Structures Destroyed: 5 residences (no additional)
Interior creeping and smoldering of unburned pockets of fuel. Continued mop up and patrol.
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Situation as of 08/06/08 5:30 PM
Total Personnel: 293
Size: 10,173 acres
Percent Contained: 85%
Costs to Date: $7,340,000
As per the long term plan, the W and SW side of the fire will be allowed to burn into natural containment areas.
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Situation as of 08/05/08 5:00 PM
Total Personnel: 429
Size: 10,173 acres
Percent Contained: 75%
Costs to Date: $7,060,000
Crews are continuing to mop up and secure line. Dozer lines along controlled perimeter are being rehabbed and structure protection equipment has been removed in most areas. Demob or reassignment in progress for many resources.
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Situation as of 08/04/08 5:00 PM
Total Personnel: 638
Size: 10,173 acres
Percent Contained: 66%
Costs to Date: $6,530,000
Line construction completed along uncontained perimeter in the Basin Creek drainage and on E flank to the N of the Basin Creek campground. Continuing to patrol and monitor fire’s spread into natural containment barriers to the W and S.
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Situation as of 08/02/08 3:30 PM
Total Personnel: 748
Size: 10,071 acres
Percent Contained: 33%
Costs to Date: $4,810,000
A Long Term Implementation Plan identifying long range fire management strategies, values at risk, and contingency actions was completed today in cooperation with local, county, state and federal officials.
Fire spread has been secured on north flank with control lines and natural barriers and crews are in mop up phase. Divisions on north flank will release some resources timing out and other resources will be shifted to divisions where active fire behavior continues. Helicopters and retardant being utilized to assist crews with line construction on northeast, east and south flanks.
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Situation as of 08/01/08 3:30 PM
Total Personnel: 747
Size: 9,701 acres
Percent Contained: 31%
Costs to Date: $4,000,000
Mandatory evacuation of the Grizzly Peak Subdivision has been lifted. Residents are still on alert. Structure protection is in place at the Red Lodge Mountain Ski Resort and residential areas.
Successful burnout of control lines in the Basin Creek drainage occurred last night and early this morning. High winds caused some spotting over dozer lines on E flank. Crews and water support continue to pick up spot fires. Active fire behavior with individual and group torching with moderate rates of spread and mid-range spotting especially at higher elevations where fire is being impacted by strong winds.
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Situation as of 07/31/08 4:30 PM
Total Personnel: 692
Size: 9,411 acres
Percent Contained: 10%
Costs to Date: $3,250,000
Crews and helicopters are focused on containing numerous spot fires on the northeast corner of the fire caused by yesterday’s wind event. Red Flag Warning for more winds today, 10 to 15 MPH increasing to 25 TO 30 MPH in the afternoon.
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Situation as of 07/30/08 5:00 PM
Total Personnel: 692
Size: 7,539 acres
Percent Contained: 5%
Costs to Date: $2,285,000
Structures Destroyed: 5 residences
A Red Flag warning has been issued for the fire area for low RH’s and high winds associated with a cold front passage this evening. Fire showing significant increase in activity on the East Flank due to high winds. The Structure Protection Group at Red Lodge Mountain Ski Resort has been put on alert and non essential personnel have been evacuated. Cold front passage predicted to occur around 2000 this evening.
Similar “Palouse” winds are expected on a weekly basis for the two months. All ID, MT, and WY fire managers should be aware.
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Situation as of 07/29/08 5:00 PM
Total Personnel: 496
Size: 5,936 acres
Percent Contained: 5%
Costs to Date: $1,250,000
Structures Destroyed: 5 residences
The Custer National Forest has issued a Fire Area Closure order that includes most of the trails and back country in the West Fork drainage. A mandatory evacuation continues for the Grizzly Peak subdivision.
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Situation as of 07/28/08 6:00 PM
Total Personnel: 279
Size: 5,800 acres
Percent Contained: 0%
A mandatory evacuation is in place for the Grizzly Peak subdivision. Voluntary evacuation for lower West Fork of Rock Creek residents.
Bennett’s Type I IMT assumed joint command this morning at 0600 with Carbon County.
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Situation as of 07/27/08 4:00 PM
Total Personnel: 116
Size: 3,500 acres
Percent Contained: 0%
Structures Destroyed: 5 residences
Evacuations of subdivisions still in progress. Continue evacuation of residences in West Fork drainage and Grizzly Peaks subdivision. Checking trails for hikers in the fire area. One helicopter assigned.
Update from Wildfire Today [here]: The Cascade fire on the Custer National Forest 8-10 miles west of Red Lodge, Montana has consumed 5,100 acres and has burned five summer homes in the Camp Senia area. The Grizzly Peaks subdivision about three miles west of Red Lodge was evacuated Sunday as a precaution. There are an estimated 40 to 50 homes in the subdivision. Another 40 to 50 homes west of Red Lodge were also evacuated. Bennett’s Type 1 Incident Management Team is assigned.
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Situation as of 07/26/08 9:00 PM
Total Personnel: 34
Size: 1,000 acres
Percent Contained: 0%
Extreme fire behavior caused the evacuation of several threatened residences. Evacuation of hikers, recreation residences, and campgrounds in the West Fork of Rock Creek to the Timber Crest Girl Scout Camp. Helicopter evacuations of 3 hikers took place.
Active crown fire with flame length 50 to 200 feet There was spotting 1/2 mile ahead of the fire. The fire is burning in heavy blowdown from wind storm in November 2007.
by Mary F.
Some hikers were not taken out yesterday from Cascade Fire if they had supplies. They were left to camp overnight and continue hiking out this morning. One of the hikers evacuated by air yesterday called my sister-in-law to let her know that my brother (her husband) and three of their children (boy age 18, twin girls age 15) were okay and were hiking out today, apparently with a few other hikers. No word as yet on their whereabouts or safety.
We are praying for their safety, Mary. Please keep us posted.
Two other MT fires ignited yesterday, but we do not have enough information on them to post, as yet.
Parmenter Creek Fire — Kootenai NF, 8 miles SW of Libby.
Harley Fire — Lewis & Clark NF, 40 miles S of Great Falls.