Fire season begins in Fields Gulch

A small fire that sprang to life in Fields Gulch on Aug. 6 marked the start of the fire season in the Lincoln area, following several days of warm, dry weather.

The lookout on Stonewall Mountain first identified the fire in a remote area of Fields Gulch six miles south of Lincoln, prompting a response the following day that included two helicopters and three engines from the Lincoln Ranger District. Lincoln Fire Rescue also responded to the initial attack.

A thunderstorm accompanied by multiple lightning strikes moved through the area Thursday afternoon, but that hadn't been verified as the cause of the fire by Monday night.

The fire, which has been holding steady at about five acres since Friday, is zero percent contained and burning in an area of dense timber that's heavily loaded with dead and down beetle-kill.

Air support played a significant role in immediate suppression Aug. 7, with two Type I helicopters, one Type II helicopter and four Single Engine Air Tankers involved in water and retardant drops throughout the afternoon. The effort limited the growth of the fire despite the dry and windy conditions.

On Sunday, two fire crews had established an anchor point near the fire. From there they and the heavy equipment began building containment lines around the fire area, with one Type I helicopter and a Type II helicopter assigned in support.

Due to the steep terrain and the number of dangerous snags in the area, construction of the containment line is expected to take several days.

On Sunday, the Lewis and Clark Hotshots replaced the Flagstaff Hotshot crew out of Arizona, which had initially been assigned to the fire.

The Lincoln Ranger District's Type IV team transitioned to a Type III team Monday, due to the complexity of the terrain and a weather forecast that was conducive to active fire behavior. The weather forecast for the next several days calls for moderating temperatures through the end of the week, with temperatures increasing again over the weekend.

No evacuations, road or trail closures had been put into place by Monday night, but drivers on Dalton Mountain road are advised to use caution and to watch for fire traffic and water tenders that are using the road. Information boards for the fire have been set up at the Lincoln Ranger District, the Lincoln Post office and at the top of Stemple Pass.

The effort to suppress the fire hit a setback Saturday, after a fire was detected on Elevation Mountain in the Garnet Range. According to Duane Buchi, acting Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest Public Affairs Officer, the new fire drew away the four Single Engine Air Tankers and one of the Type I helicopters for that initial attack.

Firefighters and heavy equipment, including two feller bunchers and a dozer, began fighting their way through the heavy downfall toward the fire from Dalton Mountain Saturday afternoon, to begin the task of building a containment line.

The feller bunchers, one from Wayne Sherrill Logging of Lincoln and another from 24/7 Logging of White Sulphur Springs, faced their own challenge in getting to the fire. They had to be unloaded just a few miles up Dalton Mountain Road due to road conditions that prevented the lowboys from carrying them further. The equipment operators had to drive them up the mountain to a staging area at just three miles an hour.