Shifting winds hamper Cactus Mtn. firefight - Wallowa County Cheiftain
Firefighting crews this weekend protected several historic structures and notified hunters in the Lord Flat area of the unpredictable Cactus Mountain Fire.
The Cactus Mountain Fire, located in the Hells Canyon Wilderness about 17 miles north of Imnaha, grew to more than 7,700 acres during the weekend. Shifting winds during the day on Sept. 10 caused firefighting crews to lose ground, with only 10 percent of the fire contained after being considered 25 percent contained earlier that day.
Late-summer weather conditions brought 100-degree temperatures and humidity levels below 10 percent to the Hells Canyon region over the weekend and shifting, erratic winds blew the fire over a nearly completed fire line late Friday.
The location of the fire in rugged wilderness terrain is compounding the difficulties of fighting the erratic wind-driven grass fire, according to information officer Michael Krueger. "The objective is to keep this fire east of the Imnaha River, south and west of the Snake River, northeast of Cow Creek, and north of private lands. There are sensitive resources and historical structures that need protection in the next two operational periods," West reported on Saturday, Sept. 10. "Crews were successful in protecting the structures at Dug Bar yesterday, when the fire made a run in that direction, with focus on the Litch Ranch in Cow Creek."
Access to the fire has been a challenge for the 60 on-ground firefighters. "While the fire may only be 50 miles from Joseph as the crow flies, it is taking three or fours hours driving in a four-wheel vehicle to get the crew there," Krueger said. Once at the end of the road, it is a two-hour hike to get to the fire. "Cactus Mountain is located in typical rugged wilderness," he added.
Because of difficult access to Cactus Mountain, the firefighters have set up a "spike camp," putting them directly on-site, but without the amenities of a typical base camp such as the capability to prepare meals.
Meals and provisions are being transported to the site from the Incident Command Center located in Joseph. Departure time from Joseph for those delivering breakfast to spike camp is about 3:30 a.m., with a 2 a.m. wakeup call to prepare the meal, Krueger said, adding that the crews haven't had to rely on MREs.
Total personnel Sept. 10 had grown to 120, with about 60 firefighters on-site at the fire and 60 people working support from the Incident Command Center, Krueger noted.
Equipment used to suppress the grass fire has been limited to three helicopters, 10 engines, and one bulldozer, according to Krueger. The possibility of using more helicopters has been discussed, he added.
Fighting the Cactus Mountain Fire has been a joint effort by the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the Oregon Dept. of Forestry. There are several large fires currently burning in Oregon and Krueger said, "Resources across the state are stretched."
The incident command spokesman Krueger, himself a retired USFS employee, was called in from his home in Curlew, Wash., to operate as one of the three public information officers for the Cactus Mountain Fire.
12 Sep, 2011--
Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNEFu5QorNvPCfd_Kk844Uvyp9qO0Q&url=http://wallowa.com/free/shifting-winds-hamper-cactus-mtn-firefight/article_53c8fdfa-dca4-11e0-8b64-001cc4c002e0.html
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