Firefighters Make Quick Work of Fire Starts in Bitterroot Nat’l Forest

75 Lightning strikes Monday night started six new fires on the Bitterroot National Forest,

but firefighters pounced, and assisted by water bucket drops by helicopters, firefighting engine crews, hand crews, and multiple fixed-wing aircraft, have brought most of them into containment. More dry lighting is forecast for this afternoon.

MEADOW CREEK FIRE: This fire is contained at .25 acres, with one engine and the Sula suppression module doing the honors It is located 1 mile southwest of Springer Memorial Community.

GIRD POINT FIRE: This fire is estimated at .3 acres and located 1 mile southeast of Gird Point. It is fully contained.

BRENNAN CREEK FIRE: This fire is contained at .25 acres. Resources responding included an engine crew from Darby and from Stevensville. A Type 3 helicopter from Hamilton, and a Trapper Creek suppression team.

FLAT ROCK INCIDENT: - This fire is .1 acres and was out as of 1 p.m. Tuesday. Resources that responded included an engine and a suppression team.

BURNT FORK FIRE: This one is .15 acres. It's in a very remote area. Resources include 2 Bitterroot helitack, 3 helicopter rappellers, and 7 members of a Stevensville fire crew. As of Wednesday morning, they have it fully contained.

BUCK FIRE: This fire may have been human-caused, and is currently at .6 acres. It is 11.5 miles southwest of Connor MT.

WEST CROOKED FIRE: This is a 20-acre smoldering fire in Idaho's Selway-Bitterroot wilderness that was detected weeks ago. It is being tracked by aircraft and Lookout Tower observers.

HUBBART DAM ROAD FIRE (S of Marion)

Tuesday (July 23) at 3:01pm a fire was reported in the area 1.5 miles east of Hubbard Dam. The DNRC says the Marion fire department as first on scene and found the fire at 1.5 acres. DNRC sent a helicopter, 4 engines, firefighters and a dozer. By evening, they had a line fully surrounding the fire at just under 10 acres, and worked through the night to contain it. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

BLACKTAIL CANYON FIRE (4mi. SE of Butte)

Aerial mapping puts the fire at 80 acres. Residual heat is still present in the smoldering fuels throughout the fire's footprint. On Tuesday (July 23) crews progressed with “mop-up” operations, working along the previously constructed sawline and handline. Crews canvassed the ground along the fire edge and one chain (66 feet) into the interior, locating and extinguishing hot spots. Crews were able to complete these “mop-up” operations along approximately 40% of the perimeter so far. Crews will continue these operations today, expanding along both flanks of the fire. Engine crews and helicopters will be available for initial attack of new fires in the area, given the predicted weather conditions.

BUTLER CREEK FIRE (7mi. NW of downtown Missoula)

The Butler Creek Fire was first reported at 1:30 AM on Monday, July 22, and is burning 7 miles northwest of downtown Missoula in grass and heavy timber. Initial responders included Missoula Rural Fire District and DNRC firefighters. Mutual aid support arrived throughout the day from 20 different agencies, including resources ordered or borrowed from the nearby Miller Peak Fire, including the Lolo Interagency Hotshot crew. As of this morning (Wed. July 24), the fire is estimated at 307 acres and 70% contained. Evacuation orders and warnings for nearby residents have been rescinded, and evacuees have been allowed to return home.

MILLER PEAK FIRE (11mi. SE of Missoula)

Crews and heavy equipment have been completed a line around the entire perimeter of the 2607-acre fire, with 25% containment, mostly on the SW side. The Eastern side of the fire (Moccasin creek area) is currently the most active and lines in that area are plumbed with hose lays. Crews are also constantly monitoring for hot spots and being watchful for spot fires. A drone has been monitoring the fire area with infrared to pick up any new heat sources. The Southwest flank is being mopped up and is largely contained. Along the Northwest side of the fire, the line is plumbed with hose lays and there is no new heat.

HORSE GULCH FIRE (E of Canyon Ferry Reservoir)

While the 15,167-acre fire is nearly contained (95%), there will continue to be pockets of low intensity, smoldering fire burning throughout the interior of the fire. It is unlikely that these pockets would pose a significant risk of escaping control lines. However, there will likely be visible smoke until the area receives significant rain or snow. While this may cause some concern for local residents, this is normal.

Categories: North Central Montana News