Fontenelle Fire Fighting Efforts Expand

Lighter winds yesterday enabled fire crews on the Fontenelle Fire to make more progress on the fire lines.  Fire Information Officer Brandon Hampton says the crews have now established a line around about 8% of the fire.  He says there are currently 682 people assigned to the fire, supported bya lot of equipment.  Hampton says that equipment includes six helicopters, several single-engine air tankers, 28 wildland fire engines, two bulldozers and several water tenders.  Hampton points out that since the fire is a fast mover, it doesn’t burn all the areas in moves through completely; so the 55,944 acres involved has been burning as a mosaic.  In the areas where the fuel has been burned completely, it will take many years to come back in its entirety, but those area where there has only been the understory that burned, he says will have grasses back next year and there will be animals back in those areas grazing. Hampton says today’s objectives involve constructing lines along the southern perimeter of the fire working around both the left and right flanks of the fire.