Firefighters contain 65-acre Bald Hill Fire
Lolo National Forest Firefighters were successful Saturday in containing the Bald Hill Fire on the Superior Ranger District, keeping it to 65 acres. Firefighters are continuing to mop up the fire area and will monitor it for fire activity. All other initial attack fires on the Lolo National Forest from recent lightning were also contained today.
“Firefighters did an outstanding job of getting all these fires lined, said Superior District Ranger Sharon Sweeney, noting the efforts to keep in check the 10 fires on the Superior District. “We are expecting a few holdovers from that storm to show up today and tomorrow, and possibly even into next week.”
The successful effort of firefighters and suppression aircraft over the last two days has not lessened fire managers concern about the potential for an escaped fire. Continued high temperatures and low humidity are forecast for western Montana in the days ahead, with several weeks o fire season remaining. Fire managers are asking the public to be extremely vigilant in making sure campfires are completely out (cold to the touch) before leaving a campsite. The majority of the fires on the Lolo National Forest this year have been human caused, most the result of campfires left unattended or abandoned.
Over a dozen lightning cause fires kept firefighters on the forest busy over the last two day and fire managers will be continuing to look for new fire starts over the next several days. Approximately 30 Lolo National Forest firefighters worked through most of Friday night and Saturday building and improving fireline on the Bald Mountain Fire on the Superior Ranger District. Their efforts kept fire from growing beyond its current size of 65 acres. Aircraft were also used to suppress the fire late Friday afternoon. Firefighters will now concentrate on mopping up the interior and perimeter of the fire.
The Bald Hill Fire is located on the Superior Ranger District about five miles northwest of the town of Superior – about halfway between Superior and St. Regis. It was discovered Friday afternoon. A map of the fire location and fire status is available at http://www.inciweb.org. Superior and nearby Plains-Thompson Falls District firefighters also responded to nine other fires on the Superior District yesterday and one today.
On nearly every district of the Lolo National Forest firefighters responded today to fire starts from the recent lightning. The Seeley and Missoula Ranger Districts had a total of five fires, all less than two acres; the Ninemile District reported two fires – both less than one acre. The Plains-Thompson Falls District had no initial attack fires yesterday or this morning but firefighters were assisting other districts.