07.19.22_Halfway Hill Fire Update
Halfway Hill Fire
Publication Type:
News
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Firefighters continue to make great progress on the Halfway Hill Fire, bringing containment to 46%. Despite gusty winds yesterday, fire growth was minimal. Fewer storms and weaker winds will come through the Fillmore area today. As we approach the end of the week, elevated fire weather conditions will return, with temperatures climbing throughout the week and stronger winds possible for Friday. Additional work was done yesterday using Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) both for infrared detection and to backburn sections of fireline. However, the backburn was only marginally successful because of the increased humidity and cloud cover. Today, firefighters will make another attempt to backburn the vegetation between the main fire and the Chalk Creek Road along the ridge Horse Hollow. Once the fireline along Chalk Creek Canyon is secure, the overall threat of fire spread will be reduced. Immediate actions will not be taken on the eastern side of the fire due to the rugged terrain which makes direct fire suppression unsafe and ineffective. Firefighters will continue to monitor this section and initiate appropriate actions if fire activity increases. Since July 12, the fire has grown only a few acres in the upper elevation portions of the fire. Yesterday, some fire crews were released from the Halfway Hill Fire to go to fires with fewer firefighting resources and more urgent needs. Sufficient personnel remain on this fire to achieve the objectives of preventing spread to private property and minimizing impacts to infrastructure. The Incident Management Team expects to release additional resources over the next few days and will likely transition to a smaller organization at the end of the week. There has been an excellent safety record on the Halfway Hill Fire. Firefighting operations occur with many environmental hazards besides the fire itself, including very hot conditions, steep terrain, rattlesnakes, and thunderstorms. Working around heavy equipment and aircraft also requires extra precautions. Closure: The Fishlake National Forest has a closure order in place in the vicinity of the Halfway Hill Fire. The closure order, including a full description of the trails, roads, and areas closed, along with maps are available at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/closures/8215/.
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