Montana wildfire roundup for September 3, 2015.
Information from InciWeb.nwcg.gov
WEST FORK FISH CREEK:
Effective noon today (Thursday, Sept. 3, 2015), the areas of Fish Creek Road south of Big Pine Fishing Access to Cache Creek – including the Rivulet area –are in Stage 1 Evacuation Levels – residents should remain aware of the fire situation and be prepared to leave if conditions warrant. Also at noon, the Mineral County Sheriff’s office will lift Stage 1 and 2 evacuations for Lower Fish Creek along I-90, from Quartz Creek to Whiskey Gulch, including McFarland. South of I-90 at North Chicken Creek to Cyr including Sawmill Gulch and the south side of Crystal Springs. Residents should be aware of the fire situation and be prepared to evacuate should conditions change. For more information, please call Mineral County Sheriff's Office at (406) 822-3555.
The following roads are closed because of fire activity and hazardous conditions: Rock Creek Road, West Fork Fish Creek Road and Thompson Creek. Residents and landowners are allowed to access their property.
Missoula County
At noon today, preliminary evacuation notices will be rescinded along Petty Creek Road. For more information, please call Missoula County Sheriff’s Office and Department of Emergency Services’ recorded line at (406) 258-INFO.
Public meeting tonight
There will be a public meeting for the West Fork of Fish Creek Fire tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Alberton High School gym.
Holter Lake Complex:
55% contained as of 8:00 this morning
The evacuation order for residents along Beartooth Road near Holter Lake was lifted at 2 p.m. Thursday.
Residents were allowed back to their homes at that time.
Beartooth Road, Holter Lake Campground, Log Gulch Campground, Departure Point Campground, Beartooth Wildlife Management Area and Holter Lake will open to the public at 8 p.m. today.
On Wednesday, firefighters had a successful day constructing line and holding the fire within the perimeter. Forecasted winds did not develop, which gave crews good working conditions. Helicopter bucket drops provided water as needed and the CL-415 Scooper Planes were not used.
Residents should use caution on Beartooth Road as firefighting crews and equipment still will use Beartooth Road, according to a letter from Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton.
Thompson Complex Fires:
Sheep and Granite fires received up to .25 inches of rain last night. Low pressure weather patterns will continue to affect the area thru the weekend, with the possibility of air operations being limited by a low ceiling today. Maximum temperatures will be in the low 60s. Winds are forecast to be lighter today, with a 90% chance of showers. Continued minimal fire activity through the weekend is expected due to increased moisture in fuels and weather conditions.
WILLOW CREEK:
TODAY’S PLANNED ACTIVITIES:
Despite yesterday’s hard work of the existing resources the Pike Hot Shot Crew, from the Pike National Forest in Colorado, were ordered and arrived today. They all will be seeking out and cooling any new spots established in unburned fuel within existing containment lines as well as digging fireline to contain spotting that occurred outside of the fire perimeter. Cooler temperatures today will assist those working the fire and air resources will again be available as needed. The equipment from Park County Rural Fire, Paradise Valley Rural Fire and Bridger Canyon Rural fire and the Custer Gallatin National Forest are also supporting the efforts.
YESTERDAY’S ACTIVITIES: High erratic winds caused increased single and group tree torching in islands within the interior of the fire on Wednesday. Despite the hard work of the crews and resources there was spotting from the interior activity beyond the east and south eastern corner of the fire. Aviation resources including one heavy heli tanker and two heavy air tankers were called in to help slow any further progress of the heat and assisted crews on the ground.
CLARK FORK COMPLEX:
There was an uptick in fire activity on Wednesday as sunshine and moderate winds caused hot areas to show themselves. Fortunately the activity was concentrated well within the fire perimeter or on flanks with little chance of growth.
Additional sunshine on Thursday will likely “liven up” some of the fires, but the activity should be mostly interior single-tree torching on the Sawtooth and Napoleon Fires. Firefighting activities will be similar to Wednesday with additional mopping-up of hot spots and the expected completion of the contingency line south of the Napoleon Fire. Structure protection will continue in the Eagle View Estates subdivision. The Temporary Flight Restriction around Whitetail Peak that had prevented conflicts between Complex aerial operations and other aircraft will be lifted today. The Team will continue to demobilize crews and equipment to “right size” down to an organization that is appropriate for the present fire activity and forecasted future weather.
Forecasted Weather: Showers and thunderstorms will be passing through the area on Thursday. There is only a 20% chance of a wetting rain (greater than one-tenth of an inch) from these storms. Winds will be light on Thursday except for erratic gusts associated with thunderstorms. Meteorologist Scott Carpenter is feeling increasing confident that a wide-spread low pressure area will bring between ¼ and ½ inch of rain on Friday night and Saturday.
Goat Rock Complex: Yesterday’s Activities: The fires in the Goat Rock Complex continued creeping and smoldering resulting in minimal to no fire growth. Operational resources on the Klatawa fire said that low cloud cover in the afternoon trapped smoke from the heavy smoldering fuels and with the gusty winds of the day smoke pushed down Granite Creek drainage into the valley. This smoke was visible in Libby but not a cause for concern as resources continue observing the fire and remained on the fire line into the evening. The low cloud ceiling, wind gusts and hanging smoke created poor conditions for air operations. A new 20-person Type 2 firefighter crew arrived on the ground and conducted chainsaw operations along the Klatawa fire to reinforce fuel breaks. Heavy equipment continued to be used along Berray Mountain to build fire line. Today’s Planned Actions: Today, on the Klatawa fire, crews will continue construction of the fuel break along Flower Creek Road and Granite Lake Road in order to increase the roads’ effectiveness as fire control lines. To date, approximately 8 miles of fireline have been constructed by hand and heavy equipment to enhance existing line and develop new fire line to protect private property and structures. The chipper will continue its fuel reduction operations along Granite Lake Road. Fire crews will continue using heavy equipment to construct the fuel breaks between Highway 56 and the Berray Mountain Fire. This line will be used in preparation for potential burnout operations if needed in order to protect private properties and structures. Heavy equipment previously used on the Clark Fork Complex will be transferred to the Goat Rock Complex today. Forecasted Weather: Cool temperatures will rule today with very light winds and partly cloudy skies. There is a 15 percent chance of showers throughout the day and a slight chance of thunderstorms this evening. There is a good possibility for cooler temperatures and an increased chance of showers and wetting rain starting Friday and running through the weekend as a broad low pressure system moves through the region.
