INCIDENT UPDATE

On Saturday, August 21, management of the Hay Creek Fire will be transferred to a Type 4 organization from the Flathead National Forest. A community meeting will be held at the Sondreson Hall on Thursday, August 19th, at 6:00 pm.

Crews will continue to wrap up operations involved with fuel reduction along roads and contingency lines, and patrol and mop up hot spots as needed. The helibase has been moved from the Hay Creek Incident Base in

West Glacier to the Hungry Horse Ranger Station Helibase. Equipment and supplies are being removed from the fire.

The fire received a wetting rain and snow in the higher elevations on Tuesday. From this point on, Hay Creek Fire information will be updated only as there are changes in fire activity or area trail and road closures. For current information, please visit InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/7712/62192/.

Northwest Montana is in VERY HIGH fire danger; Stage 2 Fire Restrictions are in effect with campfires prohibited. Know Before You Go- Visit www.mtfireinfo.org for additional Montana fire restrictions.

EVACUATIONS AND CLOSURES

Evacuation Warnings remain in effect. See details at https://go.usa.gov/xFjcA and Current Fire Information – Glacier National Park. Road and trail closures are in place.

WEATHER AND AIR QUALITY

Continue reading Hay Creek Fire – Update for August 18

Here’s the latest Hay Creek Fire Public Information Map showing fire extent, closures and current evacuation zone boundaries . . .

Unless there’s a significant change in the fire’s status, this map will be updated much less often — if at all — as the Hay Creek Fire winds down. By August 21, Hay Creek Fire operations will be transferred to a local Type 4 team based out of the Hungry-Horse-Glacier View District. From that point, information on the fire will be coming directly from the Flathead National Forest.

PDF version: https://nflandowners.org/nflawp/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Hay-Creek-Fire-Public-Info-Map-for-August-18-2021.pdf

The fire size is still estimated at 2894 acres (1171ha) and containment is steady at 30%. As this is being posted, rain is falling on the area, with more in the forecast, and the fire is hopefully winding down.

By the end of this week, the command post near West Glacier will be shut down and Hay Creek Fire operations will be transferred to a local Type 4 team based out of the Hungry-Horse-Glacier View District. There will be an Incident Commander and resources assigned to the Hay Creek Fire for the foreseeable future, but not at the levels we’ve seen recently. Unless fire status changes significantly, there will be minimal updates and fire information going out. Information on the fire will be coming directly from the Flathead National Forest.

So, although this may not be the last Hay Creek Fire update, it will no longer be a daily occurrence. Keep an eye on this website for related news and events.

Also, there is a Hay Creek Fire community meeting in the Sondreson Hall parking lot on Thursday, August 19 at 6:00pm. This is an opportunity to get information on what fire operations and information management will look like going forward.

INCIDENT UPDATE

[Note: Unless conditions worsen, the Type 3 team won’t be putting out a daily report. The report frequency will be every couple of days, if not longer, depending on fire behavior.]

Saturday, engines from Glacier National Park and the Department of Natural Resources worked to mop up hot spots in the SW corner of the fire. Sunday crews continued to mop up additional spots along Hay Creek Road # 376 and are patrolling this area as needed.

The Black Hawk helicopter assigned to the fire assisted with initial attack on the Big Hawk fire near the Jewel Basin on Friday, and on Sunday it flew to the 2700 Boulder Fire to assist with bucket drops of water. Crews and equipment are working to complete control lines.

Until wetter weather arrives this week, isolated smokes from areas of residual heat are expected. This information will be updated on Wednesday, August 18, or as conditions warrant.

Montana is in VERY HIGH fire danger; Stage 2 Fire Restrictions are in effect with campfires prohibited. Know Before You Go- Visit www.mtfireinfo.org for additional Montana fire restrictions.

EVACUATIONS

Evacuation Warnings remain in effect. See details at https://go.usa.gov/xFjcA and Current Fire Information – Glacier National Park.

CLOSURES

Road and trail closures are in place. See details at InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/7712/62192/.

WEATHER AND AIR QUALITY

Continue reading Hay Creek Fire – Incident Update for August 16

Here’s the latest Hay Creek Fire Public Information Map showing fire extent, closures and current evacuation zone boundaries.

Unless conditions worsen, the Type 3 fire team won’t be putting out a daily report. It will be every couple of days, maybe more if things really settle down.

PDF version: https://nflandowners.org/nflawp/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Hay-Creek-Fire-Public-Info-Map-for-August-16-17-2021.pdf

Here’s the latest Hay Creek Fire Public Information Map showing fire extent, closures and current evacuation zone boundaries . . .

PDF version: https://nflandowners.org/nflawp/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Hay-Creek-Fire-Public-Info-Map-for-August-14-16-2021.pdf

INCIDENT UPDATE

Today, August 14, the local incident command team takes over the Hay Creek Fire. The plan remains the same. Team 13, under Mike Wakowski commanding, would like to thank the North Fork community, the Flathead National Park and Glacier National Park for their welcome and support.

Logs continue to be moved off contingency lines and stacked at the Moose Creek Road # 210C. Crews continue to patrol and mop up along the Hay Creek Road # 376. A hand crew and chipper are finishing fuels removal along the Red Meadow Road. Spike camps at the Home Ranch Bottoms and in the Cyclone Peak area have been moved to the incident base in West Glacier.

With warmer and dryer weather, increased smoke from areas of residual heat is expected. A flight is scheduled for today to assess the fire. This information will be updated on Monday, August 16, or as conditions warrant.

Montana is in VERY HIGH fire danger; Stage 2 Fire Restrictions are in effect with campfires prohibited. Know Before You Go- Visit www.mtfireinfo.org for additional Montana fire restrictions.

EVACUATIONS

Evacuation Warnings remain in effect. See details at https://go.usa.gov/xFjcA and Current Fire Information – Glacier National Park.

CLOSURES

Road and trail closures are in place. See details at InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/7712/62192/.

WEATHER AND AIR QUALITY

Continue reading Hay Creek Fire – Incident Update for August 14