August 26, 2016 – 5 p.m.
Contained: 25%
Size: 1,242 acres
Total Personnel: 250
Resources:
• Crews: 7
• Helicopters: 3
• Engines: 8

Victor, ID – Heavy cloud cover with lower temperatures today allowed fire activity to be lower than the previous three days, slowing the fire’s growth and allowing firefighters to contain 25% of the fire’s perimeter.

Additional handcrews have been arriving throughout the day. As they do, they have been assigned to three areas of the fire to construct and reinforce containment lines where safe to do so. There was no growth on the north flank of the fire today, an area that triggered a Level 1 evacuation notice for residents and home owners in Pole Canyon Road and in Hidden Waters Subdivision.

This morning, handcrews began line construction in the southeast flank. As they work directly engines and hoses are being used to cool and extinguish the fire’s at least 100’ from the fire’s edge. This process demands thorough attention by firefighters to ensure an ember does not escape across containment lines.

Watertankers again supported firefighters for a fourth day by dropping water on the southeast flank where it remains the most active in the Tie Creek and Coalmine drainages. Hoses and additional equipment were delivered that will support those suppression activities for the next several days. A portable repeater was also installed today. This is a critical piece of equipment that allows firefighters to communicate with each other and other emergency personnel.

A transfer of command to Great Basin Team 5 occurred at 6am this morning. Throughout the duration of the fire, they will develop a daily plan that accounts for public and firefighter safety. Firefighters will only be used in places where they can safely and successfully be used. Every effort is being made to put the fire out as safely and quickly as possible.

Highway 31 is open however it is strongly recommended an alternative route is used when possible due to low visibility on Pine Creek Pass and heavy fire response traffic. Instead, people are asked to travel through Rexburg.

Smoke in the morning and evenings will be visible. This smoke is coming from several area fires burning in Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, and numerous fires burning on the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. To view smoke information, visit the Idaho Smoke Blog spot at: http://idsmoke.blogspot.com

Weather: Weather conditions will remain somewhat benign for the next several days of the fire. Conditions will become slightly warmer and dryer than Friday. As conditions warm, the fire will reflect a slight uptick in fire behavior with single and group trees torching taking place.

Evacuations In Effect: No mandatory evacuations are in effect. A Level 1 evacuation notice is in place to prepare residents and property owners south of 10000 West (Pole Canyon Road) and in Hidden Waters Subdivision.

Area/Trail Closures: A Tie Canyon Fire Area Closure is in effect. This includes areas west of Pole Canyon, Tie Canyon Road 252 and Upper Rainey Creek Road 253.

#TieCanyon

Website: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4987/ |

Picture By: Russ Bird, Incident Commander today. Shows the smoke from single and group trees torching on the southeast flank.
U.S. Forest Service – Caribou-Targhee National Forest City of Victor Teton County Idaho