Rain, snow squelch wildfires
Rain and snow put a damper on two fires in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Friday, prompting fire managers to reopen some trails in the South Fork Flathead River drainage.
The Limestone Peak fire, located 20 miles east of Spotted Bear at an elevation of 7,000 feet, was dusted with about an inch of snow by Friday afternoon. Ten firefighters that had been airlifted to the fire the day before were instructed to hunker down and stay dry until the weather cleared, allowing them to be picked up sometime today.
A weather front from Canada moved into Northwest Montana early Friday, bringing with it cooler temperatures and moisture.
The 3,550-acre Kelly Point Fire, located south of Spotted Bear, was subdued by the weather, along with firefighting efforts that prevented it from reaching the South Fork River.
Fire information officer Dick Fleishman said the Spotted Bear Ranger Station picked up three quarters of an inch of rain Friday, and he assumed there was similar precipitation at the Kelly Point Fire.
"It got wet, that's for sure," he said. "That obviously slows fires way down. They need heat and low humidities to carry on."
Fire managers on Friday reopened trails that will allow resumed travel along the South Fork River corridor, and the river itself has been reopened to floaters, with a ban on camping along a 10-mile stretch of river.
Rain was patchy for other fires in Northwest Montana.
The 896-acre Camp 32 fire southwest of Eureka and the 23-acre Gibralter Ridge fire 10 miles east of Eureka got no rain, but both fires were declared 100 percent contained at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Mop up on both fires was expected to continue through the weekend, and next week, there will be "burned area emergency rehabilitation reviews" to determine if the fires pose watershed impacts. If so, the reviews will lead to recommendations on the best ways to mitigate those impacts.
Three small fires in Glacier National Park were subdued by the cooler temperatures and varying amounts of rain. The fires are not being suppressed.
On the Net:
For detailed information on trail closures in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, check the Flathead National Forest Web site at: