Firefighters made significant headway today on the Seminoe Fire, burning 30 miles northeast of Rawlins, Wy. Type III Team Incident Commander Steve Markason reported that by Monday afternoon the 3,125 acre blaze was roughly 22 percent contained. The fire, actively burning grass, sagebrush, juniper and ponderosa pine in steep, rugged terrain, is located an estimated one mile north of the Seminoe Dam.
Ground crews and fire engines, with support from helicopters and air tankers, made good progress on the north and west flank of the fire on Monday, said Markason. The fire is actively burning on all boundaries with 176 firefighting personnel currently working on the fire. Agencies working cooperatively to fight the fire are from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) High Desert District, the U.S. Forest Service, Carbon County, Wy., the City of Rawlins, Wy. with additional firefighting personnel reporting from other parts of the country.
The fire containment lines are planned for west Seminoe Canyon, east of Long Creek Canyon and north of Morgan Creek. Firefighting efforts are currently focused on keeping the fire within those boundaries. Fire on steep, rugged terrain on the east side is being suppressed by firefighting air craft. Ground crews are working on the southwest corner and the west side of the fire. In some areas, the fire is spreading from tree top to tree top with tree torching in timbered areas.
No structures have burned, and there are no injuries to date; but 24 structures and power lines in the area are being protected. Two ranch houses north of the fire, nine cabins just one mile west of the fire, and Bureau of Reclamation housing near Seminoe Dam, roughly one-half mile south of the fire, are threatened. Firefighters have protected the structures with preventative burnout operations and are preparing to further protect the areas.
There have been mandatory evacuations at the Miracle Mile campground and voluntary evacuations at the Cortes campground, northeast of the fire.
Firefighting resources include: five hand crews, nine engines, one water tender truck, two Type I helicopters, one Type III helicopters, four single-engine air tankers (SEATS), one heavy Type II tanker, and one air attack coordination plane.
The fire was first reported on Saturday afternoon and is suspected to have been started by lightning, however the cause is still under investigation. Afternoon thunderstorms are expected for the next few days, in addition to warm and dry conditions. Priorities for firefighting include suppressing the fire and keeping all involved safe.
Ground crews and fire engines, with support from helicopters and air tankers, made good progress on the north and west flank of the fire on Monday, said Markason. The fire is actively burning on all boundaries with 176 firefighting personnel currently working on the fire. Agencies working cooperatively to fight the fire are from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) High Desert District, the U.S. Forest Service, Carbon County, Wy., the City of Rawlins, Wy. with additional firefighting personnel reporting from other parts of the country.
The fire containment lines are planned for west Seminoe Canyon, east of Long Creek Canyon and north of Morgan Creek. Firefighting efforts are currently focused on keeping the fire within those boundaries. Fire on steep, rugged terrain on the east side is being suppressed by firefighting air craft. Ground crews are working on the southwest corner and the west side of the fire. In some areas, the fire is spreading from tree top to tree top with tree torching in timbered areas.
No structures have burned, and there are no injuries to date; but 24 structures and power lines in the area are being protected. Two ranch houses north of the fire, nine cabins just one mile west of the fire, and Bureau of Reclamation housing near Seminoe Dam, roughly one-half mile south of the fire, are threatened. Firefighters have protected the structures with preventative burnout operations and are preparing to further protect the areas.
There have been mandatory evacuations at the Miracle Mile campground and voluntary evacuations at the Cortes campground, northeast of the fire.
Firefighting resources include: five hand crews, nine engines, one water tender truck, two Type I helicopters, one Type III helicopters, four single-engine air tankers (SEATS), one heavy Type II tanker, and one air attack coordination plane.
The fire was first reported on Saturday afternoon and is suspected to have been started by lightning, however the cause is still under investigation. Afternoon thunderstorms are expected for the next few days, in addition to warm and dry conditions. Priorities for firefighting include suppressing the fire and keeping all involved safe.
No comments:
Post a Comment