By PAM MORRIS
Express Staff Writer
Castle Rock Fire team leaders answered more questions from Wood River Valley residents in a meeting at Hemingway Elementary School in Ketchum Wednesday night.
Interagency Incident Commander Jeanne Pincha-Tulley, Operations Chief Joe Reyes, Ketchum Fire Chief Mike Elle, Ketchum District Ranger Kurt Nelson, and state and local health officials addressed the status of the fire, methods fire crews are using to battle it and other concerns.
The following is a summary.
Q: What is the total distance around the fire's perimeter?
A: 70 miles.
Q: As of Aug. 22, were there any structures or lives lost?
A: No.
Q: How worried is the incident commander about fire spreading to Bald Mountain?
A: Said Pincha-Tulley, "I'm worried about everything right now, to tell the truth." She said crews have a good shot at beating the fire, but "it's a race."
Q: Can snowmaking equipment on Bald Mountain be used to reduce the threat there?
A: The snowmaking system is charged with water, but early tests showed the snow gun nozzles were too hot to work. Workers are trying to figure out how to make them operate better so they can be used for fire defense.
Q: Will the Wagon Days celebration scheduled for Labor Day weekend be cancelled?
A: Said Ketchum Mayor Randy Hall, "Not just 'No', but 'Hell, No.' The show will go on."
Q: Will back-burn operations close State Highway 75 north of Ketchum?
A: Probably not, but traffic may be stopped temporarily then allowed to proceed with escorts.
Q: Is evacuation of Greenhorn Gulch about five miles south of Ketchum imminent?
A: Not if the fire crews can help it. They are trying to button up the fire's southern boundary so evacuation doesn't become necessary. However, horses should be removed from the area just in case.
Q: Do fire crews working the back burn wish to burn only the low scrub below tree level?
A: They intend to burn low brush, but they will burn trees as well, and there will be torching—the sudden explosion of trees into flame at tree-top level. They are using marine flares that can fly up to 300 yards, and they are shooting them up-slope.
Q: Will firefighters back burn all the way to State Highway 75?
A: Not unless it's necessary.
Q: Should residents of the Eagle Creek Loop on the east side of State Highway 75 about five miles north of Ketchum be concerned about their neighborhood? (The fire is on the west side of Highway 75.)
A: If firefighters are successful in containing the fire in Fox Creek on the east side of the highway, it should spread no farther. If they are unsuccessful, the fire could push fire lines all the way to the highway.
Q: What's happening with the fire in Red Warrior Creek, west of Bald Mountain, that has been creeping south toward Greenhorn Gulch?
A: Air tankers have laid down a retardant check line all the way around the south end of the fire and have encircled it. If spot fires occur, they are now more likely to hit the retardant than additional flammable vegetation. Fire crews have cut a direct fire line against the fire's edge as well, and they will continue. They also plan to bulldoze a firebreak between Alturas Gulch and Bassett Gulch, located about six miles from Ketchum. Both gulches run into Warm Springs Canyon.
Q: Are there plans to stop the fire if it reaches Baker Creek about 10 miles north of Ketchum?
A: Fire crews, including Lake Tahoe, Ca., Hotshots, were inserted into the area Wednesday. Helicopters also dropped heli-rapellers, firefighters who reach a fire by sliding down a rope from a helicopter, into more remote areas in the drainage.
Q: When will residents of Lower Board Ranch in Warm Springs Canyon be able to return to their homes?
A: Maybe Sunday. Fire crews need to get the fire secured and to put it out on the canyon ridgeline. They are not sure if they can get it out before a windy cold front, which could aggravate the fire, moves in over the weekend.
Q: Will the back burn extend to the eastern slope of Griffin Butte, a local landmark north of Ketchum?
A: There probably won't be time to do anything else. The terrain is rough, so it's difficult for a crew to hold the fire because it can spread uphill and create a wall of fire, making it very dangerous for fire crews. Radiant heat from a fire-wall could start adjacent areas burning. Pincha-Tulley doubts there will be time enough to insert fire crews. She said back burning is the fastest and safest way to proceed. Fire crew members wear 40-pound packs, heavy boots, and heavy protective clothing that make it difficult to maneuver on steep slopes.
Q: Will Griffin Butte end up looking looking like a moonscape after back-burning is finished?
A: It will look burned, but most trees will be spared. Some will burn.
Q: What's happening at the Hulen Meadows Pond about four miles north of Ketchum near State Highway 75?
A: The fire team dredged the pond to make it deeper in order to hold more of the water that flows into it from the Big Wood River. The fencing around the area makes it a safer area from which heli-tankers may draw water. The flying crane—the biggest of the working helitankers—holds 2,000 gallons of water. The smaller helicopters hold between 700 and 2,000 gallons.
Q: Is it safe to watch the helicopters work?
A: Pincha-Tulley urged people to stay away from the helicopter water-draw areas because getting near them can result in injury or death, possibly by decapitation.
Q: Why did some official maps published show a fire break running through the active fire area?
A: It was a typo on the map.
Q: When will the back burn operation reach Fox Creek trail area 10 miles north of Ketchum?
A: As early as Aug. 23, but perhaps not until Saturday, Aug. 25.
Q: Why was there little air tanker activity evident until Wednesday, Aug. 22?
A: Because the interagency team uses air tankers only when they are needed.
Q: Is back burning the best method for controlling the fire?
A: It makes large areas safe quickly without a lot of manpower.
Q: Is it advisable to wear a face mask during smoky days?
A: No. The mask needs to be tight on the face to prevent entry of small particles so it makes a person work harder to breathe, which defeats the purpose. Surgical masks do not provide outside-in protection to the wearer because they are designed to prevent contaminants from escaping from the person wearing it.
Q: Without monitoring devices, how can people determine air quality?
A: If visibility is greater than 10 miles, quality is good. Air quality decreases with visibility.
Q: Can people needing to get out of bad air go to the Red Cross shelter at the Community Campus on 1050 Fox Acres Road in west Hailey?
A: Yes.
Q: Does sagebrush grow back after a burn?
A: Yes. Remnant sagebrush may repopulate slopes, but it can also be replanted in a rehabilitation operation.
Q: Will loss of vegetation on the south-facing slopes of Warm Springs Canyon create greater avalanche danger in the winter?
A: Anchor trees will still be left standing on the slopes, though some may be burned. The mostly unforested south-facing slopes are always prone to slides—fire or no fire.
Jeanne Pincha-Tulley, incident commander for the 15,757-acre Castle Rock Fire, speaks to the crowd Wednesday evening. Photo by David N. Seelig
