Springs Fire Update August 18 AM

Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team- Bill Hahnenberg, Incident Commander   
Information Center: 384-3266
Hours of operation: 8:00 am – 9:00 pm
Email: springsfireinfo@gmail.com

August 18, 2012

8:00 am                      

**Community Meeting:  A community meeting will be held today at 10:00 am at the Incident Command Post (ICP) in Garden Valley.  The ICP is located off Banks Lowman Road west of the Garden Valley Public School.  Watch for signs that say Incident Base.  Plan to arrive between 9:30 and 10:00.

Current Situation:  The part of the fire south of Banks Lowman Road is now contained.  Firefighters will continue to patrol, mop up, and backhaul supplies in this area.  The remaining portion of uncontained fire perimeter is on the north end of the fire near the head of Zimmer Creek drainage.  Firefighters will continue to grid, mop up, and patrol.  A handheld infrared device will be used again today to assist crews with locating hotspots that remain.  On portions of the fire that are secure, rehabilitation of firelines will continue.  Material will be pulled across the lines to help prevent erosion.

Public Safety:    A Fuel and Fire Behavior Advisory has been issued for the Eastern Great Basin.  Very hot and dry weather has led to near record fire danger indices across the state of Idaho and western Wyoming.  Live and dead fuel moistures are very low.  Sagebrush values across southern Idaho are at least 50 percent below normal.  The public is reminded to be extremely careful when working and recreating outdoors.  With the dry conditions, even a small spark could potentially start a fire that can grow rapidly.

Places to Get More Information:  An information station has been set up at the Terrace Lakes maintenance shop (across from the golf course).  The station is staffed with personnel providing fire and preparedness information.  In addition, information boards have been established at the Garden Valley Work Center (Forest Service), Crouch Market,  Garden Valley Post Office, and Terrace Lakes Club House.

Evacuation Notification Line: 208-462-0552                     Website: http://www.inciweb.org/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BoiseNFFires                        Photos:   http://photobucket.com/springsfire_public

              https://twitter.com/rmt1pio                                               http://photobucket.com/springsfire_greer

Fire Statistics:           

Location: 5 miles west of Garden Valley, ID                             Start Date: August 5, 2012      

Size:  6150 acres                                                                      Percent Contained: 85

Total Personnel: 649                                                               Cause:  Under Investigation

Resources Include: 5 Type 1 hand crews, 8 Type 2 hand crews, 26 engines, 5 dozers, 11 water tenders, and

                                  overhead personnel.

Air Resources: 1 Type 3 helicopter.  Three additional helicopters that are used for initial attack are available to support the incident.