Mehl Creek Fire Wednesday Evening Update: Fire Now 80% Contained

Resources assigned to the day shift operations of the Mehl Creek Fire on Wednesday made great progress on the blaze, which is now 80% contained. 115 firefighters with the support of four water tenders, two bulldozers, and two helicopters completed fire lines around the perimeter of the incident by the early afternoon hours. Once fire lines were completed, crews shifted their efforts toward extinguishing smokes and smoldering material within the fire area. Crews started this process, known as mop-up operations, near the outside edge of the fire and will work their way into the black with the objective of fully extinguishing the fire. This process can take several days to a week or longer depending on the site. Smoke from the interior of the fire may be visible while this work is being conducted. 45 firefighters will remain engaged on the fire overnight, continuing the mop-up process. Both aviation and ground resources working on the Mehl Creek Fire during Wednesday’s day shift operations worked to better map the incident. While the fire has yet to be fully mapped with GPS coordinates, resources believe that the fire is closer to 100 acres in size rather than the previous estimates of 150 – 200 acres. More accurate mapping will be conducted in the coming days. Heavy fire traffic in the Mehl Creek area will continue for at several more days. While there are no road closures in place, motorists are reminded that fire equipment and or personnel may be parked on or working near Mehl Creek Road and are asked to slow down and use caution when driving through the area. Via DFPA