Fire along South Fork reaches 2,800 acres

The Hammer Creek Fire appears to have doubled in size over the last two or three days, according to updated reports on three active fires in Northwest Montana.

The Hammer Creek Fire, now estimated at 2,800 acres, has burned northeast from the South Fork Flathead River basin into the Lime Creek drainage, where fire managers had wanted it to go because of rocky ridges and other natural barriers that will eventually slow it down.

The Big Salmon Lake Fire, also located in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, has been growing more slowly and has been sized at 3,000 acres.

Outside the wilderness about seven miles southeast of Swan Lake, the South Fork Lost Creek Fire was estimated at 1,215 acres earlier this week but was mapped at 1,589 acres on Thursday.

About 100 people are working on the fire, which is expected to remain active for several weeks because some areas of the fire are inaccessible.