Yesterday saw significant progress on the Montana Creek and Malaspina Fires. Crews placed hoses and water supplies around the perimeter of both fires and are systematically working in from the fire edge to create a wide clearing free of hotspots and fuels that might ignite. Once this clearing is completed and there is a high level of confidence that any unburned areas within the perimeter would not cross the line, that section of line is called “contained.” Today containment on the Montana Creek Fire has increased to 40%. Containment on the Malaspina Fire is 35%.
New crews and equipment arrived overnight and are being deployed to continue the mop-up effort. With the moderated weather, work is expected to progress quickly in the next few days. Firefighters will be monitoring the weather for any event that could potentially increase fire activity. The extremely dry conditions during the previous weeks resulted in a dry duff layer (the leaf litter on the forest floor) which easily burned and weakened the tree root systems. Firefighters have been reminded that if winds increase, they need to move out of areas where the trees may become uprooted and fall.
Evacuation levels in the area of the Montana Creek / Malaspina Fires has been changed to a level 1 – “Ready”.
Montana Creek: 367 acres, 40% contained
Malaspina Fire: 85 acres, 35% contained
Personnel: 219 (combined for both fires)
Cause: Both under investigation
Links:
(208)329-8331 2019_akmss_montanacreek@firenet.gov
Categories: AK Fire Info
