Halfway Hill firefighters leveraged Saturday morning’s relatively calm conditions to secure fireline between Sand Rock Ridge and South Fork Chalk Creek using backburns. The backburn and other firefighting efforts moved containment estimates from 26 percent on Friday to 33 percent.
The Lakeview Interagency Hotshots from Oregon were instrumental in Saturday’s successful operation. The crew comes with Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and certified pilots. UAS dropped plastic spheres in strategic locations to spur the ignition of grass, brush, and trees near the fireline. The small plastic balls contain potassium permanganate and are injected with ethylene glycol (antifreeze) by the drone’s delivery device before being discharged. A chemical reaction between the two substances causes the sphere to ignite 20 to 30 seconds after injection. The combination of advanced technology and ground crews using traditional hand tools resulted in a more moderate burn and more secure containment. Other crews continued to evaluate ingress and egress around structures in the Halfway Hill Fire vicinity. Information gathered will be passed on to local officials to help prepare for emergencies in the future. Strong winds and isolated thunderstorms are forecast for Sunday afternoon. Scattered moisture is expected in parts of the fire area. 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/. Recreationists are urged to be aware of changing conditions and closures and to check intended travel routes before heading out this weekend. Please remember there is heavy fire traffic on roads in the area, particularly in the early morning and late evening hours.
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Prescribed Fire
Burned Area
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