Crews battle several wildfires on Lolo National Forest

Firefighters in Western Montana were busy Wednesday battling several blazes that erupted after lightning strikes peppered the region.

Dozens of fire starts were recorded on the Lolo National Forest and Flathead Indian Reservation land.

U.S. Forest Service firefighters worked with local crews on the Lolo while Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal personnel continued to actively battle several fires after Wednesday’s thunderstorms.

The western portion of the forest, which includes the Superior and Plains-Thompson Falls Ranger Districts, experienced the most lightning activity. A Northern Rockies Incident Management Team 1 was ordered and will take command of several wildfires located in both districts Friday.

“Our firefighters worked tirelessly throughout the day and into the night to respond to multiple new fire starts across the Forest,” said Carolyn Upton, Lolo National Forest supervisor. “We train and prepare for moments like this. We made the decision to add capacity to suppression efforts by bringing on a Type 1 Incident Management Team due to the volume and complexity of the wildfire situation on the western side of the forest. As always, our priorities are the safety of the public and our firefighters.”

Firefighters continue to prioritize response efforts and suppression resources on wildfires that are nearby or threatening values at risk such as infrastructure, buildings, recreational facilities, or private property.

On Wednesday, fire managers utilized several helicopters, single engine air tankers, one very large air tanker, smokejumpers, ground crews, engines, heavy equipment, helitack and air attack during suppression efforts.

Planes and helicopters were shared among multiple emerging fires and were used to slow fire spread while crews worked to assess and gain access to these fire areas.

Firefighters are expecting new wildfires to emerge over the coming days due to increased temperatures and drying fuel moisture.

Fire managers will continue efforts to detect, confirm, and respond rapidly to new wildfires.

HERE’S A look at wildfires which were burning or are still burning on the Lolo.

SUPERIOR RANGER DISTRICT

The Superior Ranger District had 15 confirmed fire starts on Wednesday because of lightning. Due to access and fire behavior, crews were able to respond to and contain some of these fires rapidly, according to the Forest Service.

However, several fires continue to burn actively across the district:

Thompson Creek Fire: The Thompson Creek Fire was reported at 3:59 p.m. Wednesday.

• Size: Approximately 3.5 acres, no new fire growth.

• Location: The fire is located 2.5 miles southwest of Superior.

• Planned actions: Yesterday, crews aggressively suppressed the fire with aircraft including

helicopters and air tankers. A dozer worked to create fuel-breaks directly on the fire perimeter. Crews planned containment work Thursday by extinguishing hot spots within the fire perimeter, strengthening and securing the containment line, and implementing a hose line system around the fire perimeter to supply water to the fire.

• Closures: Thompson Peak Lookout is temporarily closed. No other closures.

Deep Lookout Mountain Fire (*Please note the name change, formerly the Lookout Fire): Deep Lookout Mountain Fire was reported at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday.

• Size: 60 acres and growing toward the east due to wind.

• Fire behavior: Active fire behavior with tree torching, short-term sustained crown runs, torching and wind-driven spotting to the east.

• Location: The fire is in the upper reaches of the Deep Creek Drainage, north of Interstate 90, 12 miles east of Superior, and 5 miles west of Stark Mountain Lookout.

• Planned actions: Wednesday, the fire made crowning runs and spotted to the east. This fire is visible from I-90 and from the Ninemile Valley. Crews, helicopters, single engine air tankers and a very large air tanker responded to the fire throughout Wednesday to slow fire spread. Thursday, crews planned to continue suppression efforts from the air and evaluate access options from the ground. Access to this fire is limited. As priorities allow, aviation is being directed to this fire to continue to slow and check fire growth as ground crews mobilize equipment to gain access.

• Closures: No structures threatened at this time. Stark Divide Trails will be closed, (Trails 50/51/52). Closure order will be forthcoming.

Sunset Fire: The Sunset Fire was reported at 2:22 p.m. Wednesday.

• Size: The fire is 50 acres and growing, burning actively and moving toward Ann Arbor and Dry Creek drainages to the east/northeast.

• Fire behavior: Strong and persistent west winds averaging 20 miles per hour have increased fire behavior and caused fire growth. Fire behavior includes short-term sustained crown runs, tree torching and wind-driven spotting up to 1⁄4 mile ahead of the main fire.

• Location: The fire is located up on the Dry Creek Divide, eight miles south of St. Regis.

• Planned Actions: Access is limited and crews are assessing ground access and working to improve access by clearing trails for potential control lines. Use of helicopters or tankers will continue as they become available. Smoke is visible from Interstate 90 and the town of St. Regis.

• Closures: Sunset Trail 234, Trail 203, Trail 1195 have been closed. Closure orders and maps will be forthcoming. No structures are threatened at this time.

Miller Draw Fire: The Miller Draw Fire was reported at 9:26 a.m. Wednesday.

• Size: 2-3 acres, highly visible from St. Regis

• Location: 4.5 miles east of St. Regis in a saddle 1/2 mile west of the power lines.

• Status: The fire has been staffed since Wednesday and was staffed overnight. Crews are making good progress and continuing suppression operations by strengthening containment lines and addressing roll-out (burning/rolling debris) and hot spots within the fire perimeter.

PLAINS-THOMPSON FALLS RANGER DISTRICT

The Plains-Thompson Falls Ranger District had 13 confirmed fire starts on Wednesday. Due to access and location, crews were able to address several of the new fire starts quickly and established fire lines. Several fires remain active across the district:

A cluster of multiple small fires ranging from 1/4 acre to 10 acres in size are located approximately 6-10 miles northwest of Thompson Falls in the area north of Mt. Silcox. Wednesday, helicopters conducted water bucket drops on several of these fires to slow fire spread. Firefighters are currently assessing options to gain ground access to these fires. These fires are exhibiting active fire behavior:

• Winniemuck Fire:

• Thorne Fire

• Deep Creek Fire

• Cataract Fire

Firefighters engaged a cluster of four fires located near the cutoff road area (Montana 135), near Quinn’s Hot Springs. These fires range in size from 1 to 5 acres; currently these fires are staffed.

Quinn’s Hot Springs is not threatened, no other structures or infrastructures are threatened, and there are no closures in place at this time. Smokejumpers, single engine air tankers and helicopters along with district fire crews responded to these fires throughout the Wednesday.

Crews planned to continue suppression operations Thursday on the following fires:

• Siegel Fire: Located 3-4 miles up the Siegel drainage northeast of Quinn’s Hot Springs.

• Quinns Fire: Located about 1⁄2 mile east and on the ridge above Quinn’s Hot Springs.

• Sheep Creek Fire: Located west of the Clark Fork River across from Quinn’s Hot Springs, 1⁄2 mile of the ridgeline, and visible from Highway 135 and Highway 200.

• Knowles Fire: Located north of Montana 200 and 135 and currently staffed by Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribal fire crews.

CSKT FIRES

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes had five new fire starts Wednesday from lightning strikes. The Division of Fire initially attacked the fires along with rural fire departments.

Most of the lightning activity occurred in the southwest portion of the Flathead Reservation. Firefighters made good progress on these blazes Wednesday and contained four of the five.

Here’s a look at each fire:

• The Little Bitteroot Fire is a Type 4 incident located 16 miles west of Ronan. The lightning-caused fire is burning in light timber and grass. The fire is in patrol status.

• The Finley Gulch Fire is a Type 5 incident and is located west of Lonepine. The fire is in patrol status.

• The 8100 Road Fire is a Type 5 incident located in North Valley Creek. The fire is in patrol status.

• The King’s Fire is a Type 4 incident located 4 miles southwest of Dixon. The fire is in patrol status.

• The Little Money 2 Fire is a Type 4 incident located 2 miles west of Perma. The fire is burning in steep and rocky terrain. The Painted Rocks and Clear Creek roads are closed.

The Little Money 2 Fire was the only active fire burning Thursday. The fire is 100-plus acres with 0% containment.

For more information, contact the Division of Fire at 676-2550 or contact C.T. Camel, Fire Information Office at 406-676-2550 ext. 6407 or email: ct.camel@cskt.org.