Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry ordered a mandatory, but precautionary, evacuation for Essex today at 2:40 p.m. The Sheep Fire is still on the ridge above the mountain town east of Columbia Falls. The fire is growing due to winds and temperatures in the 80s today, public information officer Sonja Hartman said.
They want to get people out of the town so firefighters can be stationed in the town, Hartman said. They decided it would be easiest to get people out earlier rather than later.
The Forest Service is going to close Whale Creek Road due to the run the Marston Fire made. Apparently, they are worried it might cross the Whitefish Divide.
Today and tomorrow are going to be bad fire weather days. At 10:33 am a Red Flag warning was issued for tomorrow (Saturday, August 29) with 45mph winds and 10% relative humidity.
Here is the official morning report on the wildfires in the Northeast Kootenai Complex, including the Barnaby, Marston, Sunday and Weigel blazes.
Although the Marston Fire is a potential threat if things go seriously awry, the only impact these fires presently have on the North Fork is the closure of the Trail Creek Road at the Kootenai Forest boundary . . .
AGENCYJURISDICTION: USDA Forest Service, Kootenai & Flathead National Forests; Montana DNRC, Libby and Stillwater Units.
INCIDENTCOMMANDER: Shawn Pearson, Northern Rockies Type II Incident Management Team (IMT). The Incident Command Post (ICP) is located at the Murphy Lake Ranger Station.
WEATHER & FIRE BEHAVIOR: Warm, sunny and dry day with light winds will increase fire activity in the afternoon today. A warm and dry trend will continue through the week; a Fire Weather Watch has been issued for Monday.
MARSTON FIRE:
The Marston Fire is estimated at 3,200 acres with 5% contained and is located about three miles southeast of Fortine, MT. Dozer and hand line have been completed along the fire’s western edge and north to Deep Creek drainage. Crews are now working on opening roads for access to the fire’s northeast side near the mouth of Deep Creek. Dozer line has been completed from Laughing Water Creek to Sink Creek and crews will work on laying hose to supply water to the line. Indirect line is being scouted for the east side of the fire adjacent to the Stillwater State Forest. Helicopters will drop water on the southeast and northwest corners of the fire again. The fire may become more active throughout the week with warmer temps and low humidity, residents are asked to stay informed of changing fire conditions. The population protection plan is still in place for residents living near Laughing Water, Deep and Grave Creeks. This determines when evacuations would take place in the vicinity of the Marston Fire. A copy of the plan can be found on the Northeast Kootenai Complex Inciweb page (link listed below). No evacuations are currently in effect.
SUNDAY FIRE:
The Sunday Fire located about four miles southeast of Stryker, MT, is at 60 acres with 90% contained. Fireline has been constructed around the fire perimeter, and crews are working on mopping up and cooling hot spots within the fire’s perimeter. The population protection plan is still in place and determines when evacuations would take place in the vicinity of the Sunday Fire. A copy this plan can be found on the Northeast Kootenai Complex Inciweb page (link listed below). No evacuations are currently in effect.
BARNABY FIRE:
The fire is located about four miles northeast of Eureka in very steep and rugged terrain. Fire activity has been minimal in the last two days with the cooler weather and has stayed at about 40 acres with 0% containment. A Type 1 helicopter will be available to drop water as needed.
PERSONNELAND RESOURCES: 320 personnel including 1 Type 1 crew, 5 Type 2 crews, 16 engines,
Helicopters: 2 Type 1, 1 Type 2, and 1 Type 3, 6 dozers, 8 water tenders, 4 skidgines, and .
SPECIALMESSAGES/CLOSURES: There is an area closure for the Barnaby Fire as well as for the Marston Fire. See Inciweb for maps and explanations of these closures. There will be a public meeting in Trego at the Civic Center on Monday August 24th at 7:00PM.
Residents in Lincoln County interested in signing up for reverse 911 or “Code Red” can visit this website for further information: http://www.lincolncountymt.us/
Formoreinformation on the fires, visit: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/; Select “Northeast Kootenai Complex”
The Spotted Bear Ranger District has their hands full. Last Thursday afternoon, the Bear Creek Fire blew up from 465 acres to 17, 755 acres over a few hours. The Trail Fire better than doubled in size from 3,500 to 8,463 acres.
Here is the official morning report on the fires in the Thompson-Divide Complex, including the Thompson, Sheep, Granite and Spruce blazes. The items of immediate interest are the the reopening of U.S. Highway 2 between West Glacier and East Glacier and the resumption of rail traffic through that corridor . . .
Fire Information: (406) 387-4854/ (406) 314-1669, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
Resources – Total Personnel: 268 Injuries: 1 Structures Lost: None
Hand Crews: 5 20-person, 1 Wildland Fire Management Modules, 1 Helitack Crew (10), Smokejumpers (3)
Air Support: Helicopters (2 Type-1 & 2 Type-3), Engines: 13
The Thompson-Divide Complex is comprised of the Sheep, Granite and Spruce Fires on the Flathead National Forest and the Thompson Fire in Glacier National Park.
Highway 2 is reopened, with pilot cars escorting traffic in both directions to ensure safe traffic flow through the fire area. Pilot cars will run 24 hours a day, but the highway could be closed due to changing fire conditions. Expect delays of 10-15 minutes. Call 511 or visit http://www.mdt.mt.gov/travinfo/alerts.shtml for current road status.
There will be a public meeting at the Izaak Walton Inn tonight, Sunday, August 23rd at 8:00 pm.
The BNSF and Amtrak trains have been running. For more information on Amtrak call 1-(800) 872-7245.
Stage II Fire Restrictions are in effect for Northwest Montana.
‘Set’ stage alert is still in effect for residents and businesses in the vicinity of Essex for possible evacuation.
Today weather conditions will continue with a warming and drying trend that will bring higher temperatures of 75 to 80 degrees in the valleys. A mild inversion is expected to break early afternoon. Fire activity is expected to increase to moderate, with more ventilation.
Air operations will continue today with two Type 1 helicopters, a Sky Crane and Chinook. A mobile fire retardant base is being used for helicopter bucket drops.
Visit http://svc.mt.gov/deq/todaysair/ for air quality info. Closures are in effect for some trails in the vicinity of the fires for Glacier National Park and Flathead National Forest. For more info, please see Glacier NP page http://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm or for Flathead NF call Hungry Horse Ranger District (406) 387-3800.
Fire Update: The Sheep Fire is about 1 mile south of Essex in the Great Bear Wilderness of Flathead National Forest. It is burning in very steep, difficult terrain with limited access. Increased fire activity is expected today with warmer, drier conditions. Three crews may start building fire line today if conditions permit on the NE flank of the fire on the steep face across from the Goat Lick and to the north. Helicopters will support line building efforts as needed. Goals are to keep this fire from going north towards Essex and moving into the transportation corridor along the Middle Fork of the Flathead River.
Residents in the Highway 2 corridor around Essex remain in the ‘Set’ Stage of the Ready, Set, Go evacuation strategy. Residents of Essex and the surrounding area have been advised that they may be evacuated if the Sheep Fire becomes an imminent threat. People should have critical property and needs loaded into their vehicles in preparation for evacuation. They should have an evacuation plan in place and make sure everyone knows the plan. Visit http://www.wildlandfirersg.org/ for more information. The night shift continues to monitor fire movement.
Fire Update: The Granite Fire is west of Marias Pass and south of Hwy. 2 in the Great Bear Wilderness. It is burning in very steep terrain in a mixed conifer forest below a ridge. Crews have implemented structural protection measures on several backcountry cabins, trailhead structures, a wooden road bridge, and a radio repeater. Three engines will be on this fire today. The Granite Creek Trail (#156) is closed. Yesterday the fire was most active to the north and west.
Approximate Size: 3 acres Containment: 100% Fire Update: The Spruce Fire was added to the complex Aug. 19. The Spruce Fire is about 5 miles south of U.S. 2 at Bear Creek in the Great Bear Wilderness. Crews worked on establishing control lines yesterday and this small fire is now at 100% containment. Today crews will finish up monitoring and checking for any remaining hot spots. The fire will go into monitoring status.
Structures At Risk: 2 historic cabins Structures Lost: None
Fire Update: The Thompson Fire is located in a remote south-central backcountry area of Glacier National Park about 15 miles east of the West Glacier entrance in the Thompson and Nyack drainage and west of the Continental Divide.
Crews achieved some containment yesterday and are close to finishing mop-up of all edges of the fire. The fire remains west of the Divide and poses no threat to communities around East Glacier and St. Mary. Crews are shifting focus to rehabbing their camp and leaving this fire. The fire will go into monitoring status.
Most of Glacier National Park is unaffected by this wildfire complex and is available for recreational use. Limited backcountry closures are in place. For more specific visitor information, please see the website http://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm.
The Thompson Fire has not impacted any park roads. The Going-to-the-Sun Road is open.
Trail Creek Road is presently closed at the Kootenai National Forest boundary — i.e., at Trail Creek Pass. This is part of the general area closure associated with the Marston Fire. The fire is not moving towards the North Fork at this time.
AGENCYJURISDICTION: USDA Forest Service, Kootenai & Flathead National Forests; Montana DNRC, Libby and Stillwater Units.
INCIDENTCOMMANDER: Shawn Pearson, Northern Rockies Type II Incident Management Team (IMT). The Incident Command Post (ICP) is located at the Murphy Lake Ranger Station.
WEATHER & FIRE BEHAVIOR: A red flag warning is in effect for today due to windy conditions and the possibility of thunderstorms. A cold front will move into the area around 2pm, bringing wind and possible lightning. This evening around 8 or 9pm, a second cold front will move into the area with shifting winds from the north to northeast and up to 1/10th of an inch of rain. Weekend weather will be dry with cooler temperatures.
MARSTON & BARNABY FIRES:
The Marston Fire is estimated at 3,200 acres and the Barnaby fire at 40 acres. Both fires are located near Eureka, MT on the Fortine Ranger District, Kootenai National Forest. Today on the Marston Fire, crews will begin to secure the line along the eastern edge of the fire. They will also begin to put dozer line near the southeast edge of the perimeter to prevent the fire’s spread into the Stillwater State Forest. The structure group will finish their structure assessment of properties in the Laughing Water Creek and Graves Creek areas. A population protection plan has been established to determine when evacuations would take place in the vicinity of the Marston Fire if the need arises. A copy of the plan can be found on the Northeast Kootenai Complex Inciweb page (link listed below). No evacuations are currently in effect. The Barnaby Fire will continue to be monitored with the National Guard Chinooks available for water drops when needed.
WEIGEL FIRE:
The Weigel Fire is 100% contained and has been returned to Montana DNRC management.
SUNDAY FIRE:
The Sunday Fire is estimated at 60 acres. The Sunday fire is located on the Fortine Ranger District, Kootenai National Forest. Fireline has been constructed around the majority of the fire perimeter. Crews will complete fireline today and continue to wet hotspots. A population protection plan has been established to determine when evacuations would take place in the vicinity of the Sunday Fire. A copy of the plan can be found on the Northeast Kootenai Complex Inciweb page (link listed below). No evacuations are currently in effect.
General Quinn and staff of the Montana National Guard, as well as a staffer from Governor Bullock’s office, visited Helibase yesterday to see how the 2 National Guard chinooks were assisting with firefighting efforts. They have been dropping water on the Marston and Barnaby Fires and will continue these efforts today.
PERSONNELAND RESOURCES: 331 personnel, including 3 – Type 1 crews, 4 – Type 2 crews, 16 engines, 2 Type 1 helicopters, 1 Type 3 helicopter, 6 dozers, 2 excavators, 3 feller-bunchers, and 8 water tenders.
SPECIALMESSAGES/CLOSURES: A new area closure is in effect for the Barnaby Fire in addition to the closure for the Marston Fire. See Inciweb for maps and explanations of the closures. A community meeting will be held tonight, August 21, at the Eureka High School at 7:00 p.m.
Here is the official morning report on the fires in the Thompson-Divide Complex, including the Thompson, Sheep, Granite and Spruce blazes . . .
Incident: Thompson-Divide Complex Wildfire
Fire Information: (406) 387-4854/ (406) 314-1669, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
Resources – Total Personnel: 253 Injuries: 1 Structures Lost: None
Hand Crews: 4 20-person, 2 Wildland Fire Management Modules, 1 Helitack Crew (10), Smokejumpers (3)
Air Support: Helicopters (1 Type-1 & 3 Type-3), Engines: 8
The Thompson-Divide Complex is comprised of the Sheep, Granite, and Spruce Fires on Flathead National Forest and the Thompson Fire on Glacier National Park.
Highway 2 is closed at West Glacier and East Glacier, except to local residents. Call 511 or visit http://www.mdt.mt.gov/travinfo/alerts.shtml for current road status.Stage II Fire Restrictions are in effect for Northwest Montana.
A Red Flag Warning is in effect for active fire behavior until 8:00 pm today.Set stage alert to residents and businesses in the vicinity of Essex for possible evacuation.
The fires will experience warm and windy conditions with southwest winds up to 30-40 mph shifting to the northwest later in the day. The fires are expected to become more active with increased spread under these conditions. A mobile fire retardant base is being used for helicopter bucket drops. Smoke conditions are elevated throughout western Montana. Visit http://svc.mt.gov/deq/todaysair/ for air quality info. New closures are in effect for some trails in the vicinity of the fires for Glacier National Park and Flathead National Forest. For more info, please see Glacier NP page http://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm or for Flathead NF call Hungry Horse Ranger District (406) 387-3800.
Fire Update: The Sheep Fire is about 2.5 miles south of Essex in the Great Bear Wilderness of Flathead National Forest. It is burning in very steep, difficult terrain with limited access. The fire was very active yesterday with the influence of the predicted Red Flag weather conditions. The fire spread northeast toward the Middle Fork and was about ½ mile from the transportation corridor last evening. A heavy helicopter was effective in applying about 29,000 gallons of retardant on portions of the perimeter to slow spread.
Because of fire spread fire managers requested a closure of U.S. 2 at West Glacier (Mile Post 154) and East Glacier (MP209) with residents only allowed past these points. Access between MP178 (Walton) and MP185 (Bear Creek) have restrictions.Portions of the Highway 2 corridor around Essex remain in the ‘Set’ Stage of the Ready, Set, Go evacuation strategy. Residents of Essex and surrounding area are advised to prepare their property and themselves for possible evacuation. People should load critical property and needs into their vehicle in preparation. They should have an evacuation plan in place and make sure everyone knows the plan. Visit http://www.wildlandfirersg.org/ for more information.
A night shift operated last night to monitor fire conditions and spread.
Fire Update: The Granite Fire is west of Marias Pass and south of Hwy. 2 in the Great Bear Wilderness. It is burning in very steep terrain in a mixed conifer forest below a ridge. Thursday, crews assessed the area to determine the best plan of attack. They implemented structure protection measures on several backcountry cabins. Crews have been encountering numerous snags that need to be dealt with for safety before line construction. The Granite Creek Trail (#156) is closed.
Fire Update: The Spruce Fire was added to the complex Aug. 19. The Spruce Fire is about 5 miles south of U.S. 2 at Bear Creek in the Great Bear Wilderness. Several smokejumpers and a small crew worked on establishing control lines to contain this small fire. The Spruce Park cabin is a special concern on this fire.
Structures At Risk: 2 historic cabins Structures Lost: None
Fire Update: The Thompson Fire is located in a remote south-central backcountry area of Glacier National Park about 15 miles east of the West Glacier entrance in the Thompson and Nyack drainage and west of the Continental Divide.Crews made good progress yesterday mopping up some edges from burnout operations earlier in the week to contain the fire. Today, crews will continue that effort. The fire remains west of the Divide and poses no threat to communities around East Glacier and St. Mary.Most of Glacier National Park is unaffected by this wildfire and is available for recreational use. Limited backcountry closures are in place. For more specific visitor information, please see the website http://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm.
The Thompson Fire has not impacted any park roads. The Going-to-the-Sun Road is open.For information on the Reynolds Creek fire, please visit http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4405/#.
Here’s a good summary of the wildfire situation throughout this corner of Montana . . .
Authorities closed a section of U.S. Highway 2 near Essex on Thursday to provide safe access for firefighters battling the Sheep Fire, a 232-acre blaze that has grown to within 1 mile of the highway and river corridor near the southern boundary of Glacier National Park.
There are no evacuation orders, but Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry and his deputies notified 106 residents in and around Essex that they must prepare to leave and recommended they begin loading their cars immediately, Flathead County emergency information officer Jennifer Rankosky told the Associated Press. Forty-two people were home and notices were left at the rest of the homes.
Over 200 structures in the area are at risk, including homes, according to fire managers.
Fire and county officials were assessing how to best protect structures in the community. Red Cross officials were preparing a shelter in West Glacier 30 miles north on U.S. Highway 2, Rankosky said.
The Kootenai Forest is having plenty of wildfire issues . . .
The Napoleon Fire on Thursday forced additional evacuations near the community of Noxon in the Kootenai National Forest, while pre-evacuation orders were given along a stretch of Montana 200 near the Idaho border.
On Wednesday, the quick-growing fire forced the evacuation of 17 homes along Montana 56 and neighboring property owners were told to be ready to leave.
Thursday’s evacuations applied to residents farther south on the highway, between mile markers 8 and 3 on Montana 56, along with homes on the East Fork Bull River Road.
