Fire ignites south of Marias Pass

A lightning-triggered fire emerged Friday along the Continental Divide south of Marias Pass, rapidly growing to about 70 acres in heavy, dead timber.

“It’s burning actively, so it’s probably going to keep growing,” Hungry Horse District Ranger Jimmy DeHerrera said.

The fire is burning above the Puzzle Creek drainage and has “high potential to move over the Divide” and onto the Lewis and Clark National Forest, DeHerrera said shortly after flying over the fire Friday afternoon.

“The problem is it’s just a snag patch. There’s dead whitebark pine all over the place.”

DeHerrera was working with his staff on a suppression strategy.

“We’re still sorting that out,” he said. “The point is we’re not sure that there’s anything we can do that will be effective, so that’s what we’re trying to figure out. We have folks that are on the ground below but at this point there’s nothing they can do with it. It’s just too big and active.”

The fire resulted from Thursday night lightning that swept over the Continental Divide north of the Bob Marshall Wilderness and the southern part of the wilderness.

Meanwhile, two fires that have been burning in the wilderness along the South Fork Flathead drainage for the last month remain active.

The Hammer Creek Fire was last sized at 5,500 acres and the Big Salmon Lake Fire was estimated at 4,300 acres.

The 1,710-acre South Fork Lost Creek Fire, located about seven miles southeast of Swan Lake west of the wilderness boundary, is now listed as inactive.