Idaho Uses Snow Machines to Fight Fire at Ski Resort
Date: 28-Aug-07
Country: US
The Castle Rock Fire, which grew to 41,097 acres (16,630
hectares) on Sunday, has reached Bald Mountain, the ski hill
home to Sun Valley. The snow-making cannons, which are normally
used to create a blanket of artificial snow for skiers, are now
hosing down grassy hillsides.
"The snow-making guns aren't going to stop a wildfire but
they can prevent embers from starting fires in the grass," said
Jack Sibbach, director of marketing for the Sun Valley Ski
Resort.
The resort also began running some of its ski lifts to keep
lift cables from getting overheated by hot spots.
The fires have reached an area known as Seattle Ridge,
where a US$12 million ski lodge is threatened by advancing
flames. To prevent damage to the building, the US Forest
Service has stationed a structure protection crew at the site
around the clock. The luxurious ski lodge was built in 1993.
The damage to Bald Mountain accompanies increased mandatory
evacuations of about 1,000 people in the wealthy resort area.
Numerous million-dollar homes as well as several mobile home
parts were threatened by the wildfire.
Area schoolchildren who were set to attend their first day
of school on Monday were given a reprieve as school was called
off for Monday and Tuesday.
Weather in the central Idaho area was supposed to be better
for firefighters, with calmer winds. Still, fire managers
expected to see intense fire activity on Monday.
"The fuel conditions are still critically dry," said Jay
Nichols, a spokesman for the California Interagency Command
Team, the federal group managing the fire. The fire, which is
only 31 percent contained, had 1,630 firefighters assigned to
it Monday.
