From: "Bill Swanson" <wswanson@sunvalley.net>
Subject: Pistol Creek Fire
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 11:15:41 -0600
Hello

Because news has hit the internet on America Online about Pistol Creek I
will update you since my most recent letter. But I only know up until Sunday
morning what happened.

The  wind that I told you was shifting when I flew out Friday night picked
up to 30 to 50 mile an hour gusts. Because Pistol Creek is east -west it
blew the fire right out across the Middle Fork of the Salmon right at
Soldier Mtn which is the mountain across from my cabin. If you recall my
cabin is about two miles from that intersection.

We had been advised by the Forest Service earlier that our cabin was under
the most risk because of the fire up Garden Creek which flows next to my
cabin.  It turns out that this West wind changed everything.

At about 4:30pm Saturday the fire became so intense that in less than a few
hours it moved 6 miles right up and over the top of Soldier mountain. The
indicators in  the reconnaissance plane could not handle the intense heat
and the area was called a firestorm about 9:00 pm.

The heat came out of Pistol like a funnel and for one mile each way burned
everything on both sides of the Middlefork. That meant that the houses up
river at the opposite end of the ranch from mine burnt and spread the fire
right from one house to the next.  The heat was so intense that every the
ash from each  cabin and all the trees left standing were white and had no
limbs at all. Firestorms are intense heat. As the night developed the wind
died and the fire stopped moving. By then it was burning the cabin next to
ours. It only left 2 cabins untouched other than my two and one cabin on the
other side of the runway. Because of the runway the lodge was also saved as
was the caretaker cabin. Out of 21 cabins 6 are standing. Out of 6 ranch
buildings 4 are standing.

I do not know what happened on Sunday at 8:30am. The fire was still in the
area of my cabin. So if it did not burn as of Monday the next risk to my
cabin is the fire coming down Garden Creek which will occur later this week.

This has been an experience worth remembering.  The moisture content is so
low that many trees may not survive it they miss the fires.

A helicopter took our ranch foreman into the area for twenty minutes on
Sunday morning when the wind died and that is the last report I have. then
it picked up again.  We are waiting to have the smoke clear so we can fly
the area and see the status. When the wind blows and kicks up the fire the
smoke is so intense it is impossible to breath or be in the area. The plumes
are up to about 15,000 feet in the air.

When I know a latter outcome I will let you know.

This experience we are having is going on all over Idaho. Our fire is so
small it is not even being recorded on most fire maps. The other fires are
so massive that the small ones don't get mentioned.  The good news is we
probably do not have to worry in the Pistol Creek area about fires for the next 20 years.

Bill

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