Fires on Kootenai National Forest continue to grow

Two wildfires burning on the Kootenai National Forest continued to grow overnight Wednesday.

The Gold Hill Fire, 13 miles north of Libby, jumped from nearly 1,400 acres to a little more than 1,900 with 1 percent contained.

The fire continued to creep along Noisy Creek drainage for most of Wednesday before it made a run on the southeast side, where firefighters were conducting firing operations.

Firefighters stopped their suppression efforts for a few hours after the fire made its run, but when conditions allowed, they returned to their work.

Crews also continued to prepare defensible space and plumb the indirect line around residences along Highway 68.

Structure protection crews have remained in the area of the residences along the Pipe Creek Road from milemarker 11-13, putting in water lines where dozer lines were established.

A pre-evacuation warning remained in place for the area.

The Davis Fire grew about 160 acres overnight Wednesday to reach 6,365 with 12 percent containment.

There were 190 firefighters on the job as the fire burned in larch, subalpine fir and spruce trees, A single-engine air tanker made two retardant drops before poor visibility stopped the work. A Type 1 helicopter was going to check the fire on its east flank at Jingle Creek, but a lack of visibility stopped it, too.

Wind up to 25 mph from the west on Friday remained a concern.

On the Flathead National Forest, the Paola Ridge Fire grew slightly overnight Wednesday from 566 acres to 578 as it slowly backed down the west-facing slope. The fire was also moderately active where it established in the upper Paola Creek area.

Helicopters dropped water to help keep the fire burning in Paola Creek in check. Firefighters continued to patrol the fire, including around the Paola Creek area, while aircraft assisting on the fire made a reconnaissance flight to assess its progression.

Crews planned to continue monitoring the spread of the fire as it backed down the slopes toward the fire line. Additional resources have been added to the fire and were ready to engage should the opportunity arise.

As part of the structure protection operations, crews wrapped two water cisterns yesterday in a fire resistant material similar to the fire shelters used by firefighters. Crews planned to wrap the remaining water cistern Thursday. Crews also planned to assess the last of the structures in and around Pinnacle and Essex. Firefighters planned to continue construction lines along the boundary with private residences and along the BNSF Railroad corridor.

Weather conditions were forecasted as warm, dry and unstable with gusty southwest ridgetop winds through Friday morning with a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon.

The Whale Butte Fire, 10 miles northwest of Polebridge, saw a slight increase to 327 acres. The evacuation warning for landowners and visitors for all park areas north of the junction of Bowman Lake Road and the Inside North Fork Road remained in effect.

The fire continued to smolder through surface fuels along the perimeter of the fire, but was moving slowly. It was approaching the Center Mountain Road 1672. Firefighters utilized heavy equipment to improve existing roads to be used as fuel breaks. They were also making good progress on the control line between Whale Creek-Moose Creek Road 1671 and Spruce Creek Road 1685.

Reporter Scott Shindledecker can be reached at (406) 758-4441 or sshindledecker@dailyinterlake.com.