INCIDENT UPDATE

Friday, August 13 will be a day of transition, as the California Incident Management Team 13 turns over control to a local team. The fire is being managed under a full suppression strategy. Last night’s community meeting at Sondreson Hall was well attended and well received.

Fuel reduction work on the Red Meadow road will be completed by tomorrow. Primary indirect fireline in the Spruce Creek area has yielded 130 loads of logs to date, that are staged on the Moose Creek and Red Meadow Roads. A county grader and two water tenders were ordered by the fire. Eleven miles of the North Fork Road has been graded, focusing on sections that have not been treated for dust abatement. Forest roads being use by the fire will be graded next.

An infrared flight last night showed minimal heat in the fire, still focused on the SW and SE corners off the Hay Creek Road. Minimal fire activity is expected again today. Relative humidity remains good, with fuels drying out slowly. Aviation assets from the Hay Creek Fire have supported 6 other fires in the state to date.

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 12

Here’s the latest Hay Creek Fire Public Information Map showing fire extent, closures and current evacuation zone boundaries. Note that containment is now 30% . . .

PDF version: https://nflandowners.org/nflawp/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Hay-Creek-Fire-Public-Info-Map-for-August-12-2021.pdf

INCIDENT UPDATE

A community meeting is being held at the Sondreson Hall today, August 11, at 6:00 pm.

Friday, August 13 will be a day of transition, as the California Incident Management Team 13 turns over control to a local team. The fire is being managed under a full suppression strategy.

The National Guard has been assisting with return of surplus supplies to the Northern Rockies Interagency Fire Cache in Missoula. Due to a relative humidity of around 40% on Tuesday, there were minimal smokes observed, as fuels are still wet within the fire area.

A feller buncher, a self-propelled machine with a cutting head that can hold more than one stem at a time, has been used to remove trees from contingency lines. The structural protection group will move into Glacier National Park today to continue assessments. Work will also include mopping up along the Hay Creek Road. Minimal fire activity is expected again today, with an average of an inch of rain received recently over the fire.

Montana remains in EXTREME 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 include all residences east and west of the North Fork Road from Home Ranch Bottoms north to Moose Creek Road and the community of Polebridge. Glacier National Park has issued an Evacuation Warning for the North Fork area of Glacier National Park north of Logging Creek. 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

Sunny skies with warmer temperatures and decreased winds at 10 to 15 mph are expected today. Look for highs in the 70’s with some valley bottoms rising into the lower 80’s. A wind shift to the northeast is expected tonight through Thursday night, before turning back to the SW on Friday.

Due to fire traffic and road construction in the area, travelers should drive defensively. For the most current fire weather forecast go to https://www.weather.gov/wrh/fire?wfo=mso. For smoke and air quality go to http://svc.mt.gov/deq/todaysair/. For current visibility in Glacier NP see https://www.nps.gov/glac/learn/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm.

INCIDENT BACKGROUND

The Hay Creek Fire was reported on the evening of July 21, 2021. It is burning in the North Fork area of the Flathead National Forest at 5,200 – 7,100 feet of elevation. Public and firefighter safety is the number one priority. The fire has no reported injuries to date.

Here’s the latest Hay Creek Fire Public Information Map showing fire extent, closures and current evacuation zone boundaries. Note that containment is now 30% . . .

PDF version: https://nflandowners.org/nflawp/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Hay-Creek-Fire-–-updated-Public-Information-Map-for-August-11.pdf

INCIDENT UPDATE

An infrared mapping flight yesterday reinforced that the fire is still holding heat, even after wetting rain this past weekend. Areas of heat include the SW corner, and the eastern edge. A prescribed burn from 2018 abuts the fire in this southeast corner of the fire, and removed much of the duff layer, helping with fire containment in this area.

Potential for fire spread early this week is low, but fuels will dry out as the week progresses. Crews continue to secure the more active fire areas and are brushing the Red Meadow Road heading west and are close to being finished with the structural defense plan in the evacuation zone.

With the advent of better weather, two Black Hawk helicopters assigned to the incident will take a more active role. There will be a community meeting at the Sondreson Hall on Wednesday, August 11, at 6:00 pm.

Montana is experiencing EXTREME 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 include all residences east and west of the North Fork Road from Home Ranch Bottoms north to Moose Creek Road and the community of Polebridge. Glacier National Park has issued an Evacuation Warning for the North Fork area of Glacier National Park north of Logging Creek. 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 10

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-–-updated-Public-Information-Map-for-August-10.pdf

INCIDENT UPDATE

An inch of rain fell across the fire over the weekend. Crews are using mechanical equipment to reduce fuels along the Spruce Creek Road and reinforcing shaded fuel breaks being used as contingency lines. Hand prep work is being done along the Red Meadow Road to use as an egress route in case of an evacuation in the area south of the fire. Aircraft did not fly yesterday due to weather.

No additional fire spread was seen on Sunday due to rain. Today the fire will continue to be active only in more sheltered areas that received less moisture, with heavy fuels that are still holding heat. A recon flight is scheduled to happen today to assess the fire. Resources at risk, including private structures and cultural and natural resources in both the Park and Forest continue to be assessed and protected. There will be a community meeting at the Sondreson Hall on Wednesday, August 11, at 6:00 pm.

Montana is experiencing EXTREME 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 include all residences east and west of the North Fork Road from Home Ranch Bottoms north to Moose Creek Road and the community of Polebridge. Glacier National Park has issued an Evacuation Warning for the North Fork area of Glacier National Park north of Logging Creek. 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 9

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/Public-Information-Map-for-August-9-2021.pdf

INCIDENT UPDATE

The Hay Creek Road fireline held well yesterday with the increased winds. Efforts continued to secure the more active SW edge of the fire along an avalanche chute, with a crew working this area Saturday. Some increased fire activity was seen yesterday in both edges of the fire off the Hay Creek Road, due to winds and low humidity. Strategies for fire suppression have kept fire growth minimal with 150 acres added to the fire area in the last two days.

Today crews will be improving line on the north end of the Spruce Creek area. Contingency line running north to south have been completed to the east of the fire, from the Cyclone peak area to just south of Spruce Creek. Helicopter bucket drops were again used to cool the SE area of the fire that continues to hold heat.

There are around 280 structures in the Polebridge community that are being mapped for evacuation planning purposes. There will be a community meeting at the Sondreson Hall on Wednesday, August 11, 6:00 pm.

Montana is experiencing EXTREME 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 include all residences east and west of the North Fork Road from Home Ranch Bottoms north to Moose Creek Road and the community of Polebridge. Glacier National Park has issued an Evacuation Warning for the North Fork area of Glacier National Park north of Logging Creek. 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 8

Here’s the latest Hay Creek Fire Public Information Map showing fire extent, closures and current evacuation zone boundaries. Note that containment is up slightly at 23%. The fire grew a bit yesterday and is now 2894 acres (1171ha), 191 acres larger than the previous official estimate . . .

PDF version: https://nflandowners.org/nflawp/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Hay-Creek-Fire-Public-Information-Map-for-August-8-2021.pdf