Western Railroad Discussion > Montana forest fires near MRL

Tonight's news reports home evacuations south of the MRL 4th sub near Superior, MT in the Quartz Flats and Rivulet areas. So far more than 30 days without rain in the area and nearly as many days above 90 degrees and more in the high 90s on the way. Relative humidity of 8% has been reported which is desert values.

Another fire complex east of Missoula in the Clinton to Rock Creek areas are not as close to 3rd sub tracks but growing and moving that way.

Stay tuned.

Most, if not all of western MT and the whole state is at a heightened fire alert stage. We are at Stage 2. Everything has turned brown (dead) after wet spring.

Smoke is impacting the eastern end of MRLs 4th and the 10th subs. This is mostly caused by two fires near Superior and Tarkio.

From Plains west we have not endured any smoke or fires (yet) but this weekend marks the first anniversary of the Copper King Fire which started in the Thompson River canyon and spread toward Plains. It burned 35 square miles.

Weather conditions remain hot, but clear for the photogs visting this end of MRL.


Rich Wallace
Thompson Falls

Posted from iPhone

There are a number of Taxpayer funded websites showing the basic info from imaging satellites, they seem to be constantly changing the format of the webpages so enjoy it while you can:

http://www.ospo.noaa.gov/Products/land/hms.html

There's a number of ad-driven webpages that have interesting wildland fire info and take those same maps to discuss the effects:

http://wildfiretoday.com/tag/smoke/

Note that the larger wildland fires are obviously difficult to put out and last for weeks, sometimes months. Often only a change in the weather, as in temperature, wind direction or precipitation will effectively end a large wildfire.

And the Forest Service will not allow the largest air tanker to operate due to some BS. It sits and things burn but others say this should be let to burn like it supposedly used to every year boarder to boarder.

If there is no danger to towns then let them burn. Why spend the money to put out a fire that will eventually burn that area anyway. No matter what we do every square inch of forest will burn at some point in the future and every year you put the fire out makes it worse the next time it burns. May as well let it burn every decade or so keep the ground clear of fuel.

Posted from iPhone

Is this the 747 in question? I hear about it every so often, maybe the Wiki needs an update:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evergreen_747_Supertanker

Google has quite a few entries and some youtube video as well.

-------------------------------------------------------
> And the Forest Service will not allow the largest
> air tanker to operate due to some BS.

Here's a more recent story. The tanker has been widely used outside the US and used in several state fires.

http://fireaviation.com/2017/07/17/national-media-covers-the-lack-of-federal-contract-for-747-supertanker/

Posted from Android

A link from the story says they now have interim approval:

http://fireaviation.com/2017/07/25/747-supertanker-obtains-interim-approval/

btw, the original owner has quite a background. Evergreen has/had an outstanding Air Museum in McMinnville Oregon.


Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Here's a more recent story. The tanker has been
> widely used outside the US and used in several
> state fires.
>
> http://fireaviation.com/2017/07/17/national-media-
> covers-the-lack-of-federal-contract-for-747-supert
> anker/
>
> Posted from Android

Homes in the Quartz Flat area were told to evacuate at 11:00 Friday. MRL mainline tracks run through Quartz Flats on the south side of the Clark Fork River. The Milwauke was on the north side at Tarkio.

TCnR Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A link from the story says they now have interim
> approval:
>
> http://fireaviation.com/2017/07/25/747-supertanker
> -obtains-interim-approval/
>
> btw, the original owner has quite a background.
> Evergreen has/had an outstanding Air Museum in
> McMinnville Oregon.
>
>
> Lackawanna484 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Here's a more recent story. The tanker has been
> > widely used outside the US and used in several
> > state fires.
> >
> >
> http://fireaviation.com/2017/07/17/national-media-
>
> >
> covers-the-lack-of-federal-contract-for-747-supert
>
> > anker/
> >
> > Posted from Android

Yes on Evergreen. I was trying to keep this thread from getting out of control.

"Surely you can't be serious."

...

The fire near Quartz Flats has crested into the Quartz Ck drainage and is within 1/2 mile of the Quartz Ck trestle and mainline.