East Fork & Center Creek Trail Fire Update
September 21, 2020
East Fork Fire: Firefighters now have continuous containment line running from the Bear Lake area on Rock Creek Road all the way to Mackentire Draw. Crews are conducting suppression repair in these areas to reduce the firefighting impact on the land. Near Mackentire Draw firefighters completed firing operations, improving the burned fuel between the planned containment line and the advancing fire. A continuous series of direct and indirect line now exists all the way to the wilderness boundary. Close monitoring of the fire above Rock Creek Road continues. Crews completed indirect handline from the west shore of Upper Stillwater Reservoir to the wilderness boundary. High in the wilderness the fire is burning at varying intensities and leaving pockets of unburned forest stands.
Center Creek Trail Fire: The Center Creek Trail Fire is showing limited fire behavior and currently poses no threat of moving south toward the wilderness boundary.
Today’s Operations: Crews will conduct holding operations on the fire’s eastern perimeter – they will monitor for spotting as burning from yesterday’s firing operations slowly backs downhill to combine with the advancing fire. Excavators will finish suppression repair activities on Bear Hollow Road and the nearby contained line. Chipping operations will finish up today on Blindstream Road and relocate to Moon Lake for tomorrow’s operations.
Safety: As containment increases and suppression repair progresses, some closures may soon be lifted. Fire-affected areas may still present hazards to the public. Fire-weakened trees fall easily, fire-damaged soils can contribute to rockslides and flooding, and firefighters and fire traffic may still be operating nearby. We ask that the public maintain vigilance when and if visiting fire-affected areas.
Weather: Today’s temperatures will rise to 75° at lower elevations and 65° at higher elevations. Combined with dry fuels and west/southwest winds of 14-18 mph with gusts up to 26 mph, moderate fire behavior is expected. Any showers or thunderstorms in the forecast will likely occur northeast of the fire. Weather tonight is expected to dip into the mid-30s.
Resources: 3 Helicopters, 21 Engines, 6 water tenders, 2 Type 2 Initial Attack handcrews, 2 dozers and 1 Wildland Fire Module. Currently 272 firefighters are assigned to the East Fork Fire. The Center Creek Trail Fire has 12 firefighters assigned.
