Bill Walker – Page 5

Flathead National Forest Fire Update for August 3, 2023

Glacier View Fire from Huckleberry Lookout, August 2, 2023

From the latest press release, here’s the status for fires throughout the Flathead National Forest, including links to supplemental material . . .

Kalispell, MT, August 3, 2023 — As hot and dry weather conditions continue, firefighters continue working to contain several fires on the Flathead National Forest. Area closures are now in place for public and firefighter safety associated with the Tin Soldier Complex, the Ridge Fire, and the Stadium Creek Fire. Fire danger is extreme, and Stage II Fire Restrictions will go into effect at 12:01am Saturday, August 5th, 2023.

The Tin Soldier Complex (comprised of the Sullivan, Kah Mountain, and Bruce Fires) is currently estimated at 2,061 acres. Firefighting crews are engaging in point source protection of values at risk, setting up sprinklers and hose and enhancing fuel breaks with heavy equipment around private property and around the Spotted Bear Ranger Station. Fire personnel are conducting initial assessments and preparations for structure protection.

The Con Kelly Mountain Fire, previously included in the Tin Soldier Complex, is now successfully controlled and firefighters will be transported off-site by aircraft.

The Ridge Fire is now estimated at 633 acres. Due to the hot and dry weather conditions, the fire is actively burning on all sides in steep terrain with heavy dead and down fuels with smoke visible from Highway 2 and Hungry Horse, MT. Firefighting crews are working to establish fuel breaks along FS Road 38 and removing combustible materials around the Desert Mountain communication towers. Aerial resources are assisting firefighting efforts by reducing the fire spread.

The Glacier View Fire is human caused, estimated at 3.5 acres. Firefighters have completed containment line and are now working to reduce heat along the edge of the fire perimeter. The interior area of the fire is still producing smoke but poses no threat at this time.

The Doris Point Fire is estimated at 4 acres (growth of 3.5) based on aerial observation on August 3. The fire is burning on 80-90% slope in thick timber and vegetation with prevalent large-diameter dead trees and is not threatening any values at risk.

The Stadium Creek and Alcove Fires are in and just outside of the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, respectively, and are not threatening any values at risk.

The East Fork Fire on the Kootenai National Forest is less than a mile from the boundary of the Flathead National Forest, Tally Lake Ranger District. It is currently estimated at 453 acres with very active fire behavior yesterday, including group torching and spotting in heavy timber and subalpine fir. Firefighting crews will continue to construct indirect line and shaded fuel breaks around the fire perimeter with aircraft working to slow fire behavior while equipment establishes an anchor on the fire.

Area Closures:

Tin Soldier Complex Closure Order 01-10-04-23-13: The closure area encompasses the southern portion of the Hungry Horse Reservoir from the Jewel Basin Hiking Area boundary west of the reservoir to the mountain ridgeline from Prospector Mountain along the Great Bear and Bob Marshall Wilderness boundaries to Inspiration Point in section 4 T23N R16W. The waters of Hungry Horse Reservoir within this boundary are included in the closure area.

All roads and trails within the closure are closed to the public, including two additional trails:

NFS Trail #7 (Alpine 7) from the junction with NFS Trail #10 (Six Mile Trail), south to the Junction with NFS Trail #31(Napa Point Trail).
Spotted Bear River Trail #2 from the Wilderness Boundary to its junction with NFS Trail #173 (Pentagon Creek).

NFS Trail #64 and NFS Road 895F are not part of the closure and remain open.

A map of the described area is here.

Ridge Fire Closure Order 01-10-04-23-14: The closure area encompasses National Forest System (NFS) Road 497 and NFS Road 38 in section 3 T31N R19W, Emery Creek, the Coram Experimental Forest, Desert Mountain, and continues east to the Great Bear Wilderness boundary.

A map of the described area is here.

Stadium Creek Closure Order 01-10-04-23-15: The closed area encompasses Gorge Creek drainage within the Bob Marshall Wilderness area, including Feather, Inspiration, Gorge, Canyon Trickle, and Stadium Creeks.
All roads and trails within the closure are closed to the public. The closure includes:

– NFS Trail #105
– NFS Trail # 107
– NFS Trail #218

A map of the described area is here.

Stage II Restrictions will go into effect at 12:01am Saturday, August 5th, 2023, across the Flathead National Forest, Kootenai National Forest, Glacier National Park, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation – Northwestern Land Office, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Region 1, and Lake County, Lincoln County, Flathead County, and Sanders County.

There are no new fires in the Swan Lake Ranger District. No new fire starts were reported today on the Flathead National Forest as of 2:00pm.

Glacier View Fire causes closure of North Fork Road

RV fire north of Big Creek Campground, August 2, 2023 – Diane Boyd

Final update (via Diane Boyd): Yesterday afternoon (Aug 2), an elderly gal from Idaho pulled her RV off to the side of the North Fork Road because she had smoke coming out from under it. In short order, it was fully engulfed in flame, which spread to the nearby vegetation. Forest Service crews had to spend several hours extinguishing a roughly 4-acre blaze and this poor lady’s vacation literally went up in smoke. Diane was the second person on-scene and saw to it that the fire was reported. I’ve attached a photo she took.

[UPDATE, 8:20pm: The fire should be contained by nightfall.]

At about 5:30pm, August 2, Kevin Ulrichsen reported in over the radio…

The Glacier View fire has caused closure of the North Fork Road south of the Camas intersection. According to Kevin, an RV/camper fire at Big Creek Campground got out of hand. He said a couple of helicopters were on scene, as well as some other equipment. The fire size is listed as 3.67 acres. See attached map for an approximate location.

Note: The position in the map may be a bit off. If the fire started in Big Creek Campground, it is actually about 0.6 miles (1km) due south of the location displayed on the map. (I.e., they got the longitude right, but not the latitude.)

Stage 2 Fire Restrictions Going into Effect in NW Montana

The text of the official press release . . .

Kalispell, MT, August 2, 2023 — Interagency fire managers are implementing Stage 2 Fire Restrictions that will go into effect at 12:01am Saturday, August 5th, 2023, across the Flathead National Forest, Kootenai National Forest, Glacier National Park, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation – Northwestern Land Office, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Region 1, and Lake County, Lincoln County, Flathead County, and Sanders County. Continue reading Stage 2 Fire Restrictions Going into Effect in NW Montana

Glacier Park handling three new fires

Glacier Park responded to three new fires over the last day or so, including one above Bowman Lake that closed the trail to Numa Lookout . . .

A flurry of wildfire activity in northwest Montana over the weekend didn’t spare Glacier National Park, where firefighters on Monday were responding to three new starts west of the Continental Divide, according to public affairs officer Gina Icenoggle.

Among the 67 active fires reported in Montana in the last 24 hours are the Kishenehn Creek and Bowman North fires burning in an area of the park just east of the North Fork Flathead River, not far from the U.S.-Canada border. A third fire, dubbed the Brushy Incident, is burning along McDonald Creek between Packer’s Roost and Mineral Creek, in the scar of the 2003 Robert Fire.

Continue reading at the Flathead Beacon . . .

Flathead National Forest Fire Update for July 31, 2023

Things are getting busy. Here’s the latest fire update for the Flathead National Forest…

(Also, Glacier NP has a new one above Bowman Lake, estimated at 0.5 acres. I noticed the lightening strike yesterday evening, right across the river from our place.)

Kalispell, MT, July 31, 2023 — A dry lightning storm overnight between July 29 and July 30 caused an increase in fire starts on the Flathead National Forest. 17 fires have been reported since the lightning storm and firefighters are investigating smoke reports and conducting initial attack.

The largest new fires are the Kah Mountain and Bruce fires on the Spotted Bear Ranger District. These two are being combined with two smaller starts into the Tin Soldier Complex. Firefighting crews are responding with initial attack and a Type 3 Incident Management Team has been ordered to take command of the Tin Soldier Complex, estimated at 80-100 acres. Spotted Bear Ranger District has seven reported fires at this time. Alcove and Stadium Creek Fires are in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex. The 0.5-acre Elam Fire is along the West Side Road on the Hungry Horse Reservoir and firefighters have constructed containment lines around the perimeter.

The Hungry Horse-Glacier View Ranger District has nine reported fires, one of which is in controlled and two are now contained, including the 0.10-acre fire near Lion Lake reported this morning July 31.

The Logan Fire is contained and is approximately 0.10 acre, located in timber with an active timber sale to the south. Aerial resources delivered buckets of water this morning, slowing the fire spread in support of the firefighters who successfully constructed containment line around the fire.

The Doris Point Fire is estimated at 0.5 acre and is burning on 80-90% slope in thick timber and vegetation with prevalent large-diameter dead trees. Fire personnel were able to approach the fire on Sunday but the risk to firefighter safety is very high due to the fire’s location. Fire personnel are working to evaluate opportunities and suppression plans that prioritize safety and probability of success.

The Ridge Fire is estimated at 20-30 acres, actively backing down towards Embry drainage in mature timber with high quantities of both dead and down trees and standing dead snags. This is a full suppression fire and fire personnel are assessing control features, utilizing old logging roads. Heavy equipment has been ordered to support firefighting efforts.

The Abbot Fire is a single tree snag burning less than half a mile from the Ridge fire and has been incorporated into the Ridge Fire response strategy.

The Emery Fire is estimated at 0.10 south of the ridge fire and is successfully controlled.

Currently, there are no fire-related area or road closures on the Flathead National Forest.

Stage I Fire Restrictions Going into Effect in NW Montana

The text of the official press release . . .

Kalispell, MT, July 26, 2023 — Interagency fire managers are implementing Stage I Fire Restrictions that will go into effect at 12:01am Saturday, July 29th, 2023 across the Flathead National Forest, Kootenai National Forest, Glacier National Park, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation – Northwestern Land Office, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Region 1, and Lincoln County, Flathead County, and Sanders County.

Each year, 70 to 80% of wildfires are human-caused and this summer the trend has continued. Northwest Montana is currently experiencing drought conditions including extremely dry forest fuels; forecasts of temperatures above normal accompanied by low humidity, wind, and minimal precipitation; and competition for firefighting resources, as fires continue to burn across the State and the West. The intent of Fire Restrictions is to reduce fire risk and prevent wildfires during periods of high to extreme danger by decreasing potential sources of ignition.

Please refer to the appropriate Fire Restrictions Order for the land you are visiting and for a complete list of what is and isn’t allowed. Continue reading Stage I Fire Restrictions Going into Effect in NW Montana

July 28th Last Friday Pizza moved!

Please Note the change of venue for the July 28th Pizza Night.

Due to the shortage of propane-fired pizza ovens, it will be held at the Rittenburg’s, 1276 Long Bow Trail, where the grass is well-watered and vehicles can park on the graveled driveway. 56 pizza bases are ready and waiting. Please spread the word. Bring a chair, drinks and toppings to share.

Fire status report: Vance Hill & Werner fires

From Ryan Butler, Assistant Fire Management Officer-Operations for Hungry Horse-Glacier View RD…

Today, July 24th, 2023 we had a new start in the Vance hill area north of Polebridge. Township 34 N, Range 2W NW, NE section 28. The fire was reported around 1450 hours by Numa, Cyclone and Thoma lookouts. Size is currently ¾ acre in timber and brush. Due to the quick response of Flathead Helitack they were able to keep the fire from spreading. Currently Helitack and district fire personnel are being successful suppressing this fire.

This was a human caused fire on private, unattended campfire. Please help spread the word in the north fork community that we are in VERY HIGH fire danger and planning level 4. Fire season is well under way with no relief in sight.

The WERNER fire was declared out 07/24/23 at 1200 hours. All fire personnel are off the fire.

Red Meadow Fire – an official update

A note just received (5:00pm, July 20)from Fire Chief Lynn Ogle…

I just spoke with Lincoln Chute with the County. He said that the last word on the Fire on Red Meadow is contained. The last word from USFS was that the crews are doing “Mop-up” and will be probable spending the night. More later if there is any more.

From Andy Huntsberger, District Fire Management Officer…

Today, July 19th, 2023 we had a new start in the Red Meadow Creek Drainage. Township 35 N, Range 22 W, SW corner of section 17. The fire was reported around 2200 hours on July 18th and we responded to the reported fire this morning.

The fire is currently about 2 acres in size and we have 20 fire personnel on scene. 8 Helicopter Rappelers from the Kootenai NF and 12 Flathead NF Fire personnel. To date, we have used Type 1 and 3 helicopters for water bucket drops to help contain this fire. Fire activity is creeping and smoldering with some intermittent small flare ups. The smoke is light, white and visible from Red Meadow Road FS115. Fire suppression operations are being successful at this time.

There are no trail, road or area closures at this time.

Local fire season begins with the Red Meadow Fire

The “Red Meadow Fire” so far…

We don’t have much information yet. Reported at 9:42am, July 19, it is quite a ways up the ridge south of Red Meadow Road, about 6.5 miles west of the North Fork Road Junction. It was initially estimated at 1.5 acres. It looks like they’ve got at least two engines assigned to it and possibly some air support.

See the accompanying location map snagged from the DNRC Interactive Fire Map website.

Red Meadow Fire, July 19, 2023 - helicopter at Moran Meadow - photo courtesy of Cheryl Crane — Red Meadow Fire, July 19, 2023 – helicopter at Moran Meadow – photo courtesy of Cheryl Crane