Condon Mountain Fire active and moving
Forest Service officials reported Wednesday, Sept. 19, that the Condon Mountain Fire in the Swan Valley was highly active and growing.
Located about four miles northeast of Condon, the fire had burned about 2,396 acres and was 50 percent contained. The fire was reportedly spotting and making runs down into the Smith Creek drainage. The fire was also moving toward Smith Creek Pass and backing down the west face between Condon and Smith creeks. Spectators in Condon could see single tree torching.
Five helicopters and a Super Scooper plane were dropping water on the fire to control its growth, focusing on the west face and Smith Creek. Crews were constructing a fuel break line along Forest Road 9762, the Cooney Mountain Lookout road.
Assigned to the fire break were two excavators, a tree harvester, a feller-buncher, four engine crews, a hotshot crew and a 10-person hand crew. Water pumps, hoses and sprinklers were being set up along the fire break. Fire managers so far did not plan a burnout in this area.
The fire managers’ objectives include keeping the fire north of the McKay Creek drainage, south of Dog Creek and east of Forest Roads 9762, 9813 and 10513.
No evacuation orders had yet been issued. To learn more about evacuations, visit online at www.readyforwildfire.org or www.co.missoula.mt.us/oes. To learn more about the fire, visit online at www.inciweb.org.
Residents can also call the Condon Mountain Fire command at 406-754-0127, the Swan Lake Ranger District office at 406-837-7500, the Swan River State Forest office at 406-754-2301, or the Swan Ecosystem Center at 406-754-3137.
The Condon Mountain Fire started out as the Union Peak Fire. It was first spotted July 30 at half an acre in size about four miles northeast of Condon. The lightning-caused fire simmered for a while before growing rapidly. By Aug. 9, it was burning on 196 acres of steep rocky terrain and moving into the Simpson Creek and Dog Creek drainages. Forest Trail 29, the Smith-Little Salmon Lake Trail, was closed to backcountry travelers.
The fire grew to 283 acres by Aug. 10 as it burned into the Dog Creek drainage. It expanded in the next week and a half to 1,502 acres by Aug. 21 and was 20 percent contained. Crews were trying to use backfires to reduce fuel loading in front of the main fire line.
A little precipitation helped on Aug. 15, and crews took advantage of the wetter conditions to improved containment lines. As of Aug. 15, the fire had not escaped indirect containment lines, including a bank of high rocky cliffs on the fire's east flank.
Crews performed an aerial ignition on the south flank on Thursday, Aug. 16, around 4:30 p.m. The weather was expected to become hotter and drier by the weekend with predicted highs in the low 90s on the valley floor. As a result, fire behavior was expected to return to pre-storm intensities. Fire managers will adjust their strategies as the conditions change.
All told, 137 people were assigned to the fire by Aug. 17, including two helicopters, a helitack module, a helitorch module, six engine crews, a water tender, two 20-person hand crews, one 10-person crew were on hand and a 20-person management team.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks issued an emergency order on Aug. 20 closing Lindbergh Lake to public access while air tankers took water from the lake to fight the fire. The closure was expected to last two days.
By Aug. 28, the Condon Mountain Fire was 50 percent contained and had burned 1,705 acres. A total of 86 people remained on the scene. Two days later, management of the fire was handed over to a Type 4 incident commander. A medium helicopter, a 10-person hand crew and two engines remained on the scene.