How the Sunrise Fire grew to over 6,400 acres

By Sunday morning, July 30 the Sunrise Fire had grown to 6,400 acres and was only 5 percent contained. As a result of continued hot, dry weather and westerly winds. Some 60 homes were threatened by the fire and residents were ordered to evacuate from the Sunrise and Quartz Flats areas with Verde Creek remaining at Stage 2 orders to be ready to evacuate. The area terrain is steep and hard to reach with hand crews in most areas.

On Saturday, crews continued to strengthen and extend containment lines on strategic ridges north and south of the fire. They also continued to work on structure protection in Verde Creek, Sunrise and Quartz Flats. By removing fuels around the homes and when conditions were favorable, they initiated limited light intensity burning to reduce fuels.

The fire started on July 16 as a result of a midnight lightning strike and is located 11 miles south east of Superior, south of Interstate 90. The fire is burning in a horseshoe shape extending from Sun Rise Ridge, north to Quartz Flats.

On Monday, July 24 crews had put a bulldozer fire line from Sunrise Mountain to Sunrise Point. The area was also bombarded with retardant and water with three more crews joining the fight. By Monday afternoon a red flag warning was posted as winds, humidity and dry air also bombarded the area. Stage 2 evacuation notices were put into place as the fire grew to 1,370 acres.

The Incident Management Team had set trigger points on maps and if the fire breached those points, evacuation orders would be put into place. Crews cutting in the line along the ridge on Sunrise Mountain were put into danger when afternoon winds kicked up. Incident commander, Shawn Pearson said they had been concerned about the ridge since the roads in were bad and there was only one way in and one way out.

They had put a lot of equipment up there and when the winds kicked up from the south, some of the fire fighters had gotten trapped, “we had concerns about getting over extended and having equipment in the way and not being able to get it back out,” said Pearson. “We ended up leaving on Monday night with about a million dollars-worth of equipment up there. There were 22 vehicles and 72 fire fighters and we were able to get them out at about 9 that evening.” Fighters were lifted out by helicopter to safety.

On Monday the National Interagency Coordination Center in Washington D.C. had bumped the Sunrise Fire to one of the nation’s highest priorities. The flames were burning a little over a mile from several houses on Quartz Creek to the west with only one key ridge in between them.

Hotshot crews from all over the country arrived to join the battle. Crews from around Montana and as far away as Arizona, California, and Florida. Five helicopters sat ready to go at the Mineral County airport near Superior including a Type I Sikorsky which arrived on Monday. Winds gusted to 30 mph and Montana Governor Steve Bullock declared Montana in a state of emergency because of all the wild fires on Sunday, July 23. But his requests were denied.

By Tuesday, July 25, the Sunrise Fire had jumped to 2,350 acres, still with zero percent contained. The blaze had pushed over the fire line between Sunrise Mountain and Sunrise Point. Despite air tankers dropping retardant and six helicopters with buckets containing thousands of gallons of water working the area. Some 367 personnel were battling the blaze along with seven engines and scores of other heavy equipment such as excavators and dozers.

Residents were still on Stage 2 alert with the fairgrounds in Superior open for livestock. The focus was on the Quartz Creek, Sunrise Creek and Quartz Flats areas as 50 homes were being threatened. The blaze as close as three-quarters of a mile in the Quartz Flats area. Structure protection was beginning in Rivulet and Verde Creek up Fish Creek, located just southeast of the fire. Verde Creek was put on Stage 1 Evacuation Notice. The Ninemile Ranger District began telling residents that they should prepare for a long-term incident.

By Wednesday, July 26, 400 crew members were on the fire which had increased to 2,730 acres. Evacuation centers were established at Superior and Alberton schools. The elementary gym was readied for fire crews and the high school gym for evacuees. Superior school superintendent, Scott Kinney said the crews weren’t getting enough rest in the fire camp and the gym would be quieter, cooler and they’d have access to bathrooms and other facilities. However, by the end of the week, only a few evacuees had stayed at the gym. Most residents are staying with family and friends. Also, no one had utilized the fairgrounds for their livestock.

By Wednesday afternoon, winds kicked up from the west and caused spotting as far as a mile away. Stage 3 evacuations orders were put into place at approximately 5 p.m. for Quartz Flats and Sunrise Creek Road for 33 homes. The Quartz Creek Campground on the south side of I-90 was also closed. The Missoula Red Cross was available for evacuees with food and other necessities and the Human Society was available to take pets.

Additional resources were up to six helicopters, 11 engines, five dozers and 10 water tenders. There would also be a shift to provide full structure protection throughout the night. A public meeting was held at 7 p.m. at the Lozeau Lodge for a fire update.

By 11 a.m. Thursday, flames torched another 1,000 acres bringing the total to 3,700 and moved the fire back into the nation’s number one priority spot. Quartz Creek and Verde Creek area residents were on Stage 2 evacuation orders. A high pressure system remained in the area, bringing hot, dry conditions with wind gusts up to 30 mph. There was also reports of thunderstorms and a sprinkling of rain. But not enough to dampen firefighting efforts.

The incident team’s main concern now focused on long-range spotting, crown runs in the tree tops and group torches as erratic winds increased. The rest of Quartz Creek Campground is shuttered and Mineral County begins Stage 2 fire restrictions. A dozer line is made from Verde Saddle to Quartz Road and prep work is completed on Verde Creek. Retardant and water is dropped along the Sunrise Ridge, with the hopes of squelching some of the flames. Efforts also helped to confine the fire in the Meadow Creek drainage on the east side of the horse-shoe shaped fire.

Fire suppression costs reach $4.6 million and climbing with additional resources assigned to the area. Including six type six engines, additional hotshot crews and another helicopter. The Superior and Frenchtown Fire Departments begin patrolling across the river from the fire for spotting. The Federal Emergency Management Agency accepts Montana’s appeal for Fire Management Assistance Grant eligibility for funds for the Lodgepole Complex Fire burning near Jordan, Mont.

On Friday, July 28, the Mineral County Commissioners declared the county in a state of emergency at a 10:45 a.m. meeting in Superior. Quartz Creek residents were evacuated at 11 a.m. by Sheriff Tom Bauer as the fire crept down toward to the south. Now nearly 60 residents from the north, northwest and southern flanks have abandoned their homes. Several miles to the southeast, Rivulet is placed on Stage 1 evacuation notice.

As dry conditions, thunderstorms and gusty, erratic winds continue to plague the area by Saturday, July 29, the fire grows to 5,500 acres and in now five percent contained. The fire remains active and backing toward containment lines above the Quartz Creek drainage and is consuming unburned fuels in the interior, according to incident reports. On the northeast end, fire crews conduct light burning operations to remove fuels from around property. Fire crews number 522 with 14 hand crews, 4 helicopters, 18 engines, 5 dozers, 14 water tenders and other heavy equipment.