Helena - Lewis and Clark National Forest
U.S. Forest Service
2880 Skyway Drive
Helena, MT 59602
The Wood Lake Fire was reported by the Prairie Reef lookout at 10am on Monday, August 17th with an estimated size of 3 acres. By 6 p.m. the same day its growth was estimated at 50 acres with active fire behavior and spotting a quarter of a mile ahead of the fire front. The fire is in steep, rugged terrain on the upper third of a north-facing slope. Crews constructed containment line to reinforce the retardant drops where the file had potential to advance toward Benchmark road. The other portions of the fire burned into scabby timber and rock and the fire lost momentum to move. Since containment line cannot be built within the rock, and the snag component within the perimeter poses a serious risk to firefighters, the 30% containment status will remain indefinitely. On 8/23, the fire was transferred back to a type-IV incident commander, and most of the resources assigned to the fire were demobilized on 8/23 & 8/24. As of 9/3, a type-V incident commander is in charge of this fire. Rocky Mountain Ranger District personnel will continue to patrol and mop up until seasonal weather terminates this fire.
Current as of | |
Incident Type | Wildfire |
Cause | Lightning |
Date of Origin | Monday August 17th, 2020 approx. 10:22 AM |
Location | Township 19 North; Range 10 West; Section 12. 21 miles west of Augusta, Montana |
Incident Commander | Cody Seccombe, Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest Type V |
Coordinates | 47.401 latitude, -112.791 longitude |
Total Personnel | 16 |
Size | 87 Acres |
Percent of Perimeter Contained | 30% |
Fuels Involved | Heavy timber, litter and understory consisting of sub-alpine fir. |
Significant Events | This fire is now in a patrol status. |
Planned Actions | The Lewis and Clark Wildland Fire Module module continues to monitor this fire as part of it's routine fire patrol. Fire activity is minimal.
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Projected Incident Activity | Please note: The increase in acreage from 8/21 resulted from greater accuracy in determining fire size with a helicopter vs the size estimation previously done with a fixed wing aircraft. The potential for further fire growth is minimal. |
Remarks | All trail, camping, and picnicking closures associated with this fire have been lifted. |
Weather Concerns | Hot, dry, and windy conditions. |