NewsMax Wires
Monday, July 22, 2002

A cluster of fires in the Silver Lake area burned together Saturday night the 59,160-acre Toolbox Complex, and although more than a dozen homes were threatened, the fire was considered to be manageable.

"It essentially was just some spotting with very low flame," said Fire Information Officer Chris Walker. "It is not what you would call a big conflagration. It was pretty low key."

The command of the firefighting efforts was transferred Sunday to a Type 1 management team, which handles only the largest wildfires. The blaze, however, was 40 percent contained thanks, in part, to the favorable weather.

High overnight humidity causes wildfires to virtually stall, which gives firefighters working through the night the opportunity to carve out fire lines and conduct burnouts without having the main fire breathing down their necks.

"The overnight [humidity] recoveries are helping," Walker told United Press International. "We are getting up to the 40-50 percent level and that is helping them overnight get in and solidify what lines we have.

"We are expecting a change in the next couple of days," he added. "We are expecting lower humidity, higher temps and a little bit more wind."

Temperatures across much of the West were forecast to head higher early in the week with 80s and 90s along the coastal areas and 100 inland even in the Pacific Northwest.

Very high fire dangers were expected in areas of Oregon, Utah, Colorado and central California over the next few days.

Firefighting efforts in Oregon will receive a boost in the next few days when 650 soldiers from an Army battalion based in Kansas completes a quick course on firefighting and is deployed to help with mop-up operations.

Nationwide, fire crews received a boost when the large air tankers grounded after a crash in Colorado on July 18 were allowed to resume flying.

There were 39 large fires totaling 435,000 acres burning in the West on Sunday. Oregon had 15 of those fires while Wyoming and Colorado each had seven.

More than 200 homes near Estes Park, Colo. remained evacuated Sunday because of the 4,000-acre Big Elk Fire while the Lost Green Complex was considered a threat to as many as 300 homes in the Steamboat Springs area.

Humidity in the area was keeping the flames in check and there was even a good chance of rain, but overall fire dangers remained at extreme levels Sunday and the forecast called for drier conditions to move in during the week.

Copyright 2002 by United Press International.

All rights reserved.

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