After saying yesterday that burnout operations on the Lolo Peak Fire were likely responsible for destroying two homes and several outbuildings, fire managers are now saying they need more information to be sure.
"We're currently doing a review to gather all of the facts about what happened and when, and at the end of that review we're going to make all of that information known," says Lolo Peak Fire Incident Commander Greg Poncin.
Fire managers have been relying on burnouts to reinforce the containment line around the fire, and say their tactics have made it possible to save hundreds of homes during recent high wind events.
You can hear a longer interview on this with Greg Poncin here.
Highway 12 opened without pilot cars between Lolo and Graves Creek Rd. Tuesday afternoon. Evacuation orders and warnings are still in effect for areas near the Lolo Peak Fire.
It was an active day on the Sprague Fire burning inside Glacier National Park.
Park Spokesperson Catie Liming says that was expected. The Sprague fire was estimated at more than 1,200 acres this morning.
It’s burning about two miles east of Lake MacDonald Lodge, on the shore of Lake MacDonald. Liming says firefighters have equipment in place to keep the fire from moving closer to the lodge.
"There are firefighters working, and they have installed hose lays and sprinklers there. There's about 66 of these very large sprinklers, but we're trying to increase the humidity in that area if the fire were to move that direction."
The fire caused the evacuation of Sperry Chalet about 10 days ago. Liming says firefighters are not too concerned about that structure.
"We have firefighters staged there. There is structure protection in place at the chalet, and that included a water tank, hose lays and sprinklers. Given that the chalet is in a rocky subalpine environment with little vegetation, fire managers don't think there will be much damage to the building if the fire does go that direction."
Liming emphasizes that Glacier National Park remains open, including the popular Going To The Sun road. She says a few trails and backcountry sites are closed due to the Sprague fire.
On the 38,000 acre Sapphire Complex burning southeast of Missoula, firefighters say Monday was "a really good day." The fires saw minimal growth as crews used helicopters to check the fire's growth and backburns to secure fire lines.
Evacuation orders include Hogback Homestead south to Stony Creek in the Upper Willow Creek Road. Pre evacuation warnings are in effect for the Sliderock Mountain area, northern Rock Creek drainage from Babcock Creek to Bobcat Creek, Butte Cabin to Hogback Homestead, Stony Creek to the Kyle G. Bohrnsen Memorial Bridge, and the Kyle G. Bohrnsen Memorial Bridge to McDermott Gulch on Upper Willow Creek, and Marshall Creek/Black Pine Subdivisions.
Rock Creek Road from I-90 south to Harry’s Flat is open. Rock Creek road is closed from Harrys Flat south to Kyle G. Bohrnsen Memorial Bridge, and non-fire traffic is not allowed.
Upper Willow Creek Road is closed to the public. All closures on the Lolo and Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forests and the Bureau of Land Management remain in effect.
For the Sunrise Fire near Superior, as fire suppression activities continue across the fire; firefighter and public safety remains the top priority. Ground and aerial resources have been successful in keeping the fire on the south side of Trout Creek and the north side of Quartz Creek. Crews are continuing to build direct fire line in the Eagle Rock ridge area along with aerial support to keep the fire out of the bottom of Trout Creek. This will strengthen containment on the west side of the fire. Blasting will be used in Trout Creek to safely remove large cedar trees that pose hazards to firefighters and the returning public.
Along the east side of the fire suppression repair continues. This work includes water bar construction on the hand and dozer lines to minimize the potential for soil erosion. Water bars divert water from firelines and prevent gullies from forming.
A Community fire information meeting will be held at the Lozeau Lodge Pavilion on Wednesday, August 23, 2017 at 7:00 p.m.
The only under evacuation orders are Upper Trout Creek, Quartz Creek, Cougar Meadows, Cougar Gulch and Cougar Creek.
The area closure around the Sunrise Fire now includes Trout Creek Road (#250). Road blocks are in place near the Pellet Mill (lower Trout Creek) and at the upper Trout Creek Road intersection with Road #7813, near the Divide. Travelers from Cedar Creek should use Hoodoo Pass Road (#388) which takes you through Freezeout Pass Road (#3881/7813), and then back on to Road #250 to the SW. Travelers should also be advised to use high clearance vehicles and no trailers.
