Governor visits fire
Gov. Dave Freudenthal receives a briefing from fire officials before climbing aboard a helicopter for a flyover of the Purdy Fire Friday. Photo by Christine Smith, Dubois Frontier.
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Governor visits Purdy Fire
Fire burning 20 miles west of Dubois, near Union Pass
August 25, 2006
Governor Freudenthal flew over the Purdy fire this morning in a helicopter to view the status and level of preparedness with regard to the protection of structures near the fire. The governor viewed the fire with members of the incident command team. The Purdy fire is burning about 20 miles west of Dubois, near Union Pass.
"It is rough country, and the firefighters are working pretty much around the clock," Freudenthal said after the flyover.
The fire is burning entirely on federal land. The fire is estimated to be approximately 18,900 acres total size. Nearly 11,710 acres is on the Bridger-Teton National Forest, with more than 7,190 acres on the Shoshone National Forest.
Helicopters and heavy airtankers are assisting ground crews by dropping retardant and water on spot fires and direct the fire movement. The fire has not moved past or spotted over the South Fork of Fish Creek.
A major change in the weather pattern is in store as a strong low pressure system approaches from the west and the chance of precipitation will increase as the day goes on. Skies should be cloudy with numerous showers possible. There is a chance of snow showers at higher elevations tonight. Cool, damp conditions will prevail throughout the weekend. Due to the weekend's weather forecast, some engines that have been available for structure protection will be reassigned to other fires.
Resources on the fire: 568 personnel, including 13 crews, 26 engines, 5 water tenders, 6 helicopters, 4 dozers, and overhead personnel.
Public Meeting at Line Shack August 26, 5:00 PM
A public meeting will be held at 5:00 pm on Saturday, August 26 at the Line Shack located in the Union Pass area. Shoshone National Forest officials and members of the fire management team will provide an update on the fire status, structure protection efforts and road and trail closures, as well as be available to answer questions. The Firewise meeting previously scheduled for Saturday at the Sawmill Lodge has been cancelled and will be rescheduled at a later date.
Area Closures
The Union Pass Road (Shoshone Forest Road #263) is now closed from the Forest boundary just past Line Shack, then southwest over Union Pass. On the Bridger-Teton NF, the road becomes Forest Road #600 and is closed to where it intersects with the junction of Park Creek Meadows Road #627. Mosquito Lake is still accessible. Lake of the Woods is in the closed area. A portion of the Continental Divide hiking trail is in the closed area.
For more information about the status of the Purdy fire, contact the Joint Information Center at 307-455-2466, or go online to: Purdy Fire, www.inciweb.org/incident/402/
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