The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
A large air tanker drops slurry on the north edge of the fire.
A small air tanker circles the fire before making a drop as a helicopter drops down refill at a pond near the Blackfoot River south west of Lincoln.
A helicopter with a bambi bucket lifts off after filling up at the Lincoln Sewer District ponds.
The first large air tanker on scene drops a load of slurry on its initial run.
A helicopters rotor wash causes smoke to swirl as it drops into the fire area to deliver its payload of water.
A pair small air tankers circle around the fire area before making their runs.
UPDATE:
The fire buring in the Bear Gulch Area southwest of Lincoln had grown to an estimated 15-20 acres by midnight last night, July 14. According to Lincoln Fire Rescue , the fire is still actively burning.
Firefighters are requesting that people stay off Herrin Lake and Dalton Mountain Roads if they don’t live in the area. People wanting to get a closer look at the fire by driving into the Bear Gulch area create a significant issues for firefighter and firefighting equipment. Residents who do live in the area are asked to go directly to and from their homes.
With the recent removal of the Dalton Mountain Road Bridge over the Blackfoot for construction of a new bridge, the detour down Stemple Pass Road and across Herrin Lakes Road is the primary route in and out of the fire area. Herrin Lakes Road in particular creates issues for traffic due to its narrowness and multiple blind corners.
More equipment is expected to arrive this morning (Tuesday) and any unnecessary traffic on the roads creates a hazard for the equipment moving in and out of the fire area.
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A fire in the Bear Gulch area became the first significant fire in the Lincoln area in what is shaping up to be an active fire season.
According to mtfireinfo.org, the fire is being referred to as the Dalton Incident and was spotted at about 4:30 p.m. As of 7:30 p.m it was listed at only one acre. However, for spectators watching from Stemple Pass Road it appeared to be growing with the wind, and several trees could be seen torching along the southeast edge of the fire.
The fire, which started about a mile north of the Bear Gulch subdivision, drew a considerable amount of air resources that worked aggressively to douse the flames and limit the spread of the fire.
Two helicopters were working the fire at around 6:30 p.m. At about 7 p.m. air tankers arrived on scene, including large air tankers carrying slurry and a pair of smaller tankers reportedly making runs to refill at Nevada Creek Reservoir.
As of 9:30 p.m. information on the fire had not been updated on mtfreinfo.org and the fire was not listed on the interagency fire information website Inciweb. Initial reports from area residents indicate the fire may have been started by a logging operation in the area, but that has not yet been verified.
Information will be updated as it becomes available.
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