The “Wildfire Information” page has been updated to repair “link rot” and add some new material. This is a collection of forest fire information links, including prescribed burns, applicable to the Flathead National Forest and Glacier National Park. The page also links to Canadian resources.
Let us know if anything is broken.
Chris Peterson of the Hungry Horse News reports that crews are making good progress on the Glacier Rim Fire. The North Fork Road is now open and river traffic is allowed past the area. Travelers are not permitted to stop and rubberneck, though . . .
The North Fork Road reopened to vehicle traffic Sunday morning after being shut down by a wildfire near Glacier Rim yesterday. Floaters, at least as of this morning, were allowed to use the North Fork of the Flathead in the area, but cannot stop on the river above Glacier Rim where heavy helicopters are hitting hot spots with bucket drops.
Vehicles on the road also cannot stop in the fire area.
The fire looked to be roughly 30 to 40 acres in size, skunking around in downed timber from the Robert Fire burn of 2003. Crews appear to have made good progress on the fire overnight.
The 30-acre “Glacier Rim” wildfire brewed up Saturday afternoon in a gravel pit near the Glacier Rim area. Multiple agencies have responded. So far, the fire is confined to the west side of the North Fork, with minor spotting on the Glacier Park side of the river. The North Fork Road is closed. At least one home has been evacuated and warnings issued to three more.
Here’s the news coverage so far . . .
Firefighters Battle Wildfire Along the North Fork (Flathead Beacon – several photos)
Crews battle wildfire near Glacier National Park (Missoulian)
Firefighters attack North Fork fire (Daily Inter Lake – warning: paywall)
The Forest Service issued their last press release on the “Hay Creek Complex” wildfires today, handing off control to local personnel . . .
On 8/5/14 at 8:00 PM, the Hay Creek Complex will be turned over to the Glacier View/Hungry Horse Ranger District managers who will continue with any patrol. Any questions or concerns, please contact the Flathead National Forest GVHH District Office in Hungry Horse at (406) 387-3867.
Here’s the latest report from the Forest Service concerning the Hay Creek Complex fires on the North Fork. It was posted at about 1:00 p.m. on Monday, August 4. See the related Inciweb page for further details . . .
SUMMARY: Multiple fires have started on the Glacier View Ranger District following a series of lightning storms over the five preceding days. A total of 12 fires have started, with 5 current fires, and 7 have been contained and controlled. The fires are being managed as a fire complex. The fires had burned in heavy timber, in steep, rough terrain. The fire behavior is small smokes in some of the duff on the forest floor. The fire complex consists of a total of 23 acres, with approximately 50% contained. Multiple resources are assigned to the fire including four 20-man crews, 3 helicopters, one Type 6 engine crew, and a local Type 3 management team, for a total of approximately 123 people. These resources are being shared across all the fires in this area. There are no area or trail closures at this time.
Yesterday, the fire area had multiple lightning storms pass over, but no new fires were started. Today, fire fighters will continue with mop up and patrol of the two larger fires, Akinkoka and Hay Creek Fires. Fire fighters and helicopters not needed will be demobilzed and made available for other fires in the region.
SPECIAL MESSSAGE: A helibase is set up at Moran Meadows area. These helicopters are shuttling personnel and supplies to and from the fires, as well as providing water drops on the fire. FOR THE YOUR SAFETY AND THE FIRE FIGHTERS SAFETY, PLEASE DO NOT STOP ON THE ROAD WAY OR WALK OUT ON TO THE HELIBASE.
| Current as of | 8/4/2014, 12:25:33 PM |
|---|---|
| Incident Type | Wildfire |
| Cause | Lightning |
| Date of Origin | Tuesday July 29th, 2014 approx. 05:00 PM |
| Location | Various locations east of Whitefish Divide and west of the North Fork of the Flathead River. |
| Incident Commander | Justin Kaber, Flathead National Forest |
| Total Personnel | 123 |
|---|---|
| Size | 23 Acres |
| Percent of Perimeter Contained | 50% |
| Fuels Involved | Heavy timber, in steep, rough terrain. |
| Planned Actions | Continue with mop up and patrolling of the two remaining fires, Akinkoka and Hay Creek Fires. Demobilize the fire fighters and helicopters not needed. |
|---|---|
| Projected Incident Activity | Continue with mop up and patrolling of the two remaining fires, Akinkoka and Hay Creek Fires. Demobilize the fire fighters and helicopters not needed. |
Here’s the latest report from the Forest Service concerning the Hay Creek Complex fires on the North Fork. See the related Inciweb page for further details . . .
SUMMARY: Multiple fires have started on the Glacier View Ranger District following a series of lightning storms over the five preceding days. A total of 12 fires have started, with 8 current fires, and 4 have been contained and controlled. The fires are being managed as a fire complex. The fires are burning in heavy timber, in steep, rough terrain. The fire behavior is single and group tree torching with occasional spotting. The fire complex consists of a total of 19 acres, with approximately 20% contained. Multiple resources are assigned to the fire including five 20-man crews, 3 helicopters, one Type 6 engine crew, and a local Type 3 management team, for a total of approximately 143 people. These resources are being shared across all the fires in this area. There are no area or trail closures at this time.
Yesterday, the fire area had multiple lightning storms pass over, and 6 new fires started from lightning, in addition to the 3 existing fires. All of the new fires were initial attacked with full suppression strategy. Today, fire fighters will continue with suppression strategy for the fires and continue to be prepared for initial attack on any new fire starts. None of the fires received over night rain that other areas experienced.
SPECIAL MESSAGE: A helibase is set up at Moran Meadows area. These helicopters are shuttling personnel and supplies to and from the fires, as well as providing water drops on the fire. FOR THE YOUR SAFETY AND THE FIRE FIGHTERS SAFETY, PLEASE DO NOT STOP ON THE ROAD WAY OR WALK OUT ON TO THE HELIBASE.
New Start Fires
Link Lake 1 – Size: 0.1 acres Location: Lat. 48° 45.822 Long. 114° 34.290 Status: Staffed with 2 fire fighters.
Link Lake 2 – Size: 0.1 acres Location: Lat. 48° 45.822 Long. 114° 34.134 Status: Staffed with 3 fire fighters.
Mt Young 1 – Size: 0.25 acres Location: Lat. 48° 48.096 Long. 114° 37.860 Status: Not staffed, but received intense water drops from helicopters.
Mt Young 2 – Size: 0.25 acres Location: Lat. 48° 47.646 Long. 114° 39.498 Status: Staffed with 8 fire fighters.
Stony – Size: 0.25 acres Location: Lat. 48° 47.556 Long. 114° 34.218 Status: Staffed with 2 fire fighters.
Antley Creek – Size: 0.1 acres Location: Lat. 48° 54.852 Long. 114° 34.410 Status: Contained and controlled.
Akinkoka, Hay Creek, and Mathias Fires
UPDATE: On all of the fires, fire line has been fully constructed, and mop up work is continuing which is very difficult due to steep, rough terrain. Some fire fighters have been released from these fires in order to staff new start fires in the area.
| Current as of | 8/3/2014, 9:48:29 AM |
|---|---|
| Incident Type | Wildfire |
| Cause | Lightning |
| Date of Origin | Tuesday July 29th, 2014 approx. 05:00 PM |
| Location | Various locations east of Whitefish Divide and west of the North Fork of the Flathead River. |
| Incident Commander | Justin Kaber, Flathead National Forest |
| Total Personnel | 145 |
|---|---|
| Size | 19 Acres |
| Percent of Perimeter Contained | 20% |
| Fuels Involved | Heavy timber, in steep, rough terrain. |
| Planned Actions | Full suppression tactics with fire fighters and helicopters working on the fires. |
|---|---|
| Projected Incident Activity | Full suppression tactics with fire fighters and helicopters working on the fires. |
Fire season in Montana has been pretty manageable so far . . .
Despite the smoke and occasional buzz of an air tanker, the 2013 fire season in Montana has been quiet, historically speaking.
Eleven fires totaling 35,220 acres remain active in the state, all but two of them burning west of the Continental Divide.
Across Montana, 48,637 acres have burned this year, according to the Northern Rockies Coordination Center. The center lists nearly 690 human-caused fires, which have burned about 15,000 acres statewide. Around 380 lightning fires have burned nearly 34,000 acres.
The Forest Service is dealing with two lightning-triggered fires in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Here’s the official press release . . .
Fire managers on the Flathead National Forest are managing two fires on the Spotted Bear Ranger District. Both are believed to have been started by lightning strikes from the storm that passed through the area on August 11, 2013. Both are in the Bob Marshall Wilderness area and will be managed so they can play their natural role in the wilderness while providing for public and firefighter safety and protecting values at risk.
The Snow Creek fire is burning about 20 acres and is located up the Snow Creek Drainage. The fire is close enough to Black Bear Cabin that fire fighters are starting to implement structure protection, but there is no immediate threat. There may be some future impacts to the trails in the area depending on where the fire grows.
The Damnation fire is covering more than 150 acres and is growing to the east and north-east. This fire could impact trail access as well. Managers are working to keep area trails open with crews on the ground to observe fire location and behavior; however trail closures to ensure public safety may occur as fire conditions dictate.
Growth is expected today, August 16, 2013, as the weather forecast calls for high temperatures, low relative humidity and wind. Please contact the Spotted Bear Ranger District before heading into these areas to ensure you have the latest information on conditions: 406-758-5376.
As firefighting resources are needed to respond to natural wildfires it becomes even more important for everyone to thoughtful and careful in their use of fire in the forest. The forest is not currently in fire restricts, but the fire danger is high in the Flathead Valley, meaning a small spark or an unattended fire of any kind can start a wildfire and it could quickly spread.
Wildfire activity in this corner of Montana is easing off, not that anyone is complaining . . .
Burning activity was limited Tuesday on the Blacktail Ridge Fire near Plains, and the Avalanche Lake Trail remains closed in Glacier National Park due to a small fire nearby.
“Really we haven’t seen much fire growth today,” said Jennifer Costich, a fire information officer assigned to the Blacktail Ridge Fire, which has burned about 250 acres two air miles south of Plains…
In Glacier Park, firefighters have held the Avalanche Wildland Fire on Mount Brown to about 45 acres since it was detected last Saturday.
More than 30 people are working on the fire, including eight smokejumpers, along with helicopter support…
Still not a lot of heavy wildfire action in this corner of Montana, but the region overall is getting busy . . .
A lightning-caused fire in the Marshall Creek drainage northwest of Seeley Lake was the biggest new start in western Montana, even as much larger challenges confronted firefighters in Idaho and eastern Montana.
A crew of Montana State Prison inmates was dispatched to the West Marshall Creek fire on Sunday, which had burned about 30 acres by Monday morning, according to Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation spokeswoman Paula Short. The agency also sent three helicopters, one large air tanker and a single-engine air tanker to slow its spread.