#BullGinComplex Update Friday, September 30
The Bull Gin Complex is currently 4,279 acres and 36% completion.
BREAKDOWN BY FIRE
Government Fire: 2,785 acres
Billiard Fire: 1,210 acres
Isabella Lake Fire: 284 acres
COMMUNITY MEETING: Please join the Kootenai National Forest on Thursday 10/6, 10:00 AM at Noxon Fire Hall at 401 Noxon Avenue, Noxon, MT 59853.
TRANSITION: Management of the Bull Gin Complex will transition to the Kootenai National Forest as a type 4 incident on Sunday, 10/2 at 0700. This is the last formal update. Relevant information will continue to be released on InciWeb and the Kootenai National Forest Facebook page.
HIGHLIGHTS: Today crews wrap up suppression repair work on the Government and Billiard Fires. The fire continues to slowly creep and smolder through dried fuels, containment lines are in place. Firefighters continue point protection of structures and fire progression monitoring. Road and trail closures for the Isabella Lake Fire are lifted as of 0800 Friday, 9/30. Road and trail closures for the Government and Billiard Fires will be lifted at 0800 Monday, 10/3.
Government Fire: Firefighters continue repair work around the fire’s edges. Excavator work along the south boundary of the fire was hindered by steep terrain so crews have been placing hand lines. Operations staff expect that repair work will be completed by Saturday, 10/1.
Billiard Fire: Most suppression repair work is complete. Today crews will focus their effort along Fatman Mountain Road. Operations staff expect that repair work will be completed by the end of Friday, 9/30.
Isabella Lake Fire: Crews continue monitoring fire behavior.
WEATHER: Incident meteorologists predict cooler temperatures over the fire area today with moderate rainfall. Cool conditions with some rainfall are expected to last through today, 9/30, and possibly through the weekend. Predicted temperatures today are lows in the mid-50s and highs in the high-60s.
PRE-EVACUATION UPDATES: All pre-evacuation zones for the Bull Gin Complex/ Government Fire were lifted as of 6:00 AM September 24, 2022. Residents along Government Mountain and Timber Ridge Roads are no longer in pre-evacuation status.
CLOSURES: Road and trail closures for the Isabella Lake Fire are lifted as of 0800 Friday, 9/30. Road and trail closures for the Government and Billiard Fires will be lifted at 0800 Monday, 10/3. Areas within the fire perimeter are not closed for access, however, hazardous conditions may exist due to weakened trees, slick surfaces, isolated fire activity within the interior, and continued, sporadic, fire suppression activities. Publics are encouraged to avoid areas within the fire perimeter for the time being.
WHAT IS SUPRESSION REPAIR? Wildfire suppression repair is a set of different actions (immediately taken) to repair damages caused by firefighting activities. It can include repairing culverts, restoring roads and trails to their pre-fire condition, reducing the appearance of dozer and hand line, and other similar activities. The goal of suppression repair is to immediately minimize the potential of soil erosion and other negative impacts resulting from fire suppression activities.
PDF version: https://bit.ly/BullGinDailyUpdate09302022
Original source can be found here.
