Firefighters, weather slow Lakeside fire

The Bierney Creek Fire west of Lakeside slowed substantially after the new wildfire’s wind-driven flames chewed through 80 acres of residential forest Monday afternoon and evening.

Ali Evans, the information officer for the Type 3 Incident Management Team that took over fire operations Tuesday morning, said calm weather allowed firefighters to strengthen fire protection measures while building fire lines around about 70 percent of the perimeter.

None of the wildfire’s area is was being classified as “contained” by early Tuesday evening, however.

“There has been some isolated torching [of trees] but no major growth, so those lines have been holding,” Evans said. “It’s just a real spotty fire, with a lot of fuel left to burn within.”

While heavy air support helped slow the wildfire’s growth Monday, 75 to 100 structures within a half mile of the fire perimeter remain threatened.

No evacuations have been ordered, although structure protection is in place throughout the area.

“There are a couple of homes that are surrounded by fire,” Evans said, but added that no structures have been lost.

Roughly 80 to 100 personnel, including the Flathead Hotshots and the Blackfoot Type 2 fire crew, are working on the fire. Nine fire engines and a pair of helicopters continued hitting the fire with water throughout Tuesday.

The Bierney Creek Fire started about 2 miles from Lakeside at about 3:30 p.m. Monday, prompting an aggressive response from local, state and federal firefighting agencies. Bulldozers plowed fire lines into the evening and helicopters and planes kept the flames in check.

The Bierney Creek Fire is burning up multiple drainages in steep terrain and thick timber.

A number of residences scattered throughout the forested hills below Baldy Mountain have complicated the response to the relatively small wildfire.

“It’s a wildland-urban interface situation, so it’s a complex firefighting situation,” Evans said.

Flathead County Emergency Manager Jessica McDonald said that homeowners living in the Bierney Creek drainage west of the power lines and north of Blacktail Road should be prepared to leave their homes if fire activity changes.

Cool weather and low winds are forecast for the next couple days, although a cold front expected this weekend could again push winds through the area.

For updates on the Bierney Creek Fire, call the fire information hotline at 406-758-2111.

Evans said staffers will answer the phone until about 9 p.m. each night, and a fire information board has been set up at the Blacktail Market in Lakeside.

Reporter Sam Wilson can be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com.