Fires calm, but likely not for long
John Stokes, in yellow, talks with recreationists at the Glacier Rim river access while filling up his 4,000-gallon truck Thursday evening. He working with a crew to water and grade the North Fork Road in order to improve the rutted gravel road for equipment traveling to work on the nearby Sun Dog fire. The fire on the Whitefish Divide was sized at 430 acres. Karen Nichols/Daily Inter Lake
By JIM MANN
Cooler weather helped crews get the upper hand on Thursday, but warmer weather is expected this weekend
The Daily Inter Lake
Fire activity subsided Thursday with cloud cover and lower temperatures, but those in charge of fires in the Flathead area are gearing up for more active burning in days to come.
The Sun Dog Fire on the Whitefish Divide continues to attract the most attention and resources. It is positioned to move east, just as several fires have done in the North Fork Flathead basin during the past five years.
About 20 miles northwest of Columbia Falls at the head of the Coal Creek drainage, the fire last was sized at 430 acres. It has been burning in steep, inaccessible terrain, through sub-alpine fir, spotting ahead and torching groups of trees. Burning debris has been rolling down avalanche chutes, causing the fire to spread, according to fire reports.
But on Thursday, that fire and others in Flathead area were less active than they had been in recent days.
Bucket drops Thursday morning also helped crews keep the fire under control, said Pat McKelvey, a fire information officer assigned to the blaze.
McKelvey said crews are working to create 70-foot fuel breaks along abandoned roads to the north and south boundaries of the fire.
A public meeting to discuss the fire will be held at 7 p.m. Friday at the Home Ranch Bottoms Store, McKelvey said.
About 200 people have been assigned to the Sun Dog Fire, with more expected.
The forest for the Flathead Valley calls for increasingly clear and calm conditions during the weekend, with temperatures expected to reach 89 degrees by Sunday. And that is expected to lead to increased fire activity, said Denise Germann, the Flathead forest information officer.
The Holland Peak Fire, on the crest of the Swan Mountain range about eight miles west of Condon, last was mapped Thursday at 180 acres.
"It's burning up toward high, rocky country," said Swan Lake District ranger Steve Brady.
The rugged nature of the terrain prompted, for safety reasons, the recall of smoke jumpers who dropped on the fire after it was detected Monday. Since then, fire managers intend to monitor and contain it with aerial resources, if necessary.
"We think it's highly likely that it's going to stay up in this rocky country and that we can manage it with aerial resources," Brady said. "We are planning contingencies if we have any need to tackle it at lower elevations."
The Forest Service has implemented a closure in the Rumble Creek area, in addition to closing Foothills Trail 192.
People wanting updated information on that fire can call 754-3025.
The Murr Creek Fire is southwest of Kalispell, about eight miles south of McGregor Lake. It was detected Tuesday evening and last was mapped at 350 acres.
The fire is burning on Plum Creek Timber Co. lands and Flathead forest lands, but it is in a fire-protection area assigned to the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.
Because of its location in roaded timberlands, heavy equipment - much of it provided by Plum Creek - has been deployed to cut firelines. It was last estimated to be about 20 percent contained.
The Sun Dog, Holland Peak and Murr Creek fires are all thought to have been triggered by lightning strikes.
Meanwhile, local firefighters continue to respond to holdover lightning starts, including one that cropped up Thursday afternoon on the south slopes of Columbia Mountain.
Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com.