Operations Section Chief Brent Olson gave a short update on the operations. He said the biggest mission going forward is patrolling control lines, ensuring there are no spot fires and beginning the fire suppression repair work.
Members of the community spoke with the various agency representatives after the meeting.
SEELEY LAKE – The crowd dwindled at the last community meeting in Seeley Lake with Greg Poncin's Type 1 Incident Management Team Monday, Sept. 18. Those in attendance filled the Mission Bible Fellowship sanctuary with applause when the deputy Incident Commander announced all Evacuation Warnings have been lifted for the Rice Ridge Fire effective immediately.
Seeley Lake Fire Chief Bob Vanden Heuvel addressed those in attendance reminding them of the firefighter that paid the ultimate sacrifice this fire season on July 19 while fighting the Florence Fire. It was only five days later that the Rice Ridge Fire started, a third of a mile from the start of the Florence Fire.
Vanden Heuvel shared his appreciation for the teams that have worked on the Rice Ridge Fire and the pilots' work. No structures and no public life was lost on this incident.
He commended the Seeley Lake volunteers for all their work and all the other departments that provided mutual aid expecting nothing in return: Potomac, Frenchtown, Missoula Rural, Missoula City, and Condon.
"I saw a lot of things in the town that made me proud of our community," said Vanden Heuvel.
Other meeting highlights:
• Operations Chief Brent Olson said that most of the fire has received 0.25 inches of rain. But the south side of the fire has only received 0.1 inch which is still not considered a wetting rain. The fire burning north of Coopers Lake is in an area that any moisture will directly impact the fire since it did not reach the heavily timbered area.
• All control lines are in and holding. Sawyer Creek and Blind Canyon/Swamp Creek areas are still holding heat on the west and southwest areas of the fire.
• Fire suppression repair has begun. Lines are being covered, berms rehabbed and water bars are being put in to reduce erosion.
• All but 5,000 feet of the more than 250,000 feet of hose and all but 20 pumps of the more than 250 portable pumps used for fire suppression have been removed from structure protection from the areas around Cooper Lake, Placid Lake, Highway 83 corridor, Doney Lake and Double Arrow.
• District Ranger Rachel Feigley took a flight over the fire area this weekend. She said while there are areas where the fire was high intensity and killed the trees, she was pleasantly surprised with the number of "green" area and the mosaic that the fire created. Past timber harvest and old burn scars checked the high intensity burn. A lot of black on the wilderness area because wind driven events.
• The district will be opening gated roads in the Archibald Loop area that have been closed since 2007. Feigley hopes this will help fill some of the local needs since so much of the area is under the fire closure.
• The District will lift the closure on the Horseshoe Hills area Tuesday. The Cottonwood Lakes Road remains closed due to use of the fire equipment.
• Diane Hutton's Incident Management Team will replace Greg Poncin's Team Thursday night.
• Liberty Fire will be turned back to the local units on Wednesday.
• Montana Department of Transportation will remove the 35 mile per hour speed limit signs on Highway 83 by Tuesday, Sept. 19.
• Montana 211 are offering assistance to those that need help due to the fires. Anyone who needs assistance related the Rice Ridge Fire are encouraged to call 211.
The next community will be at the Ovando School, Tuesday night at 6pm.
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