Sunrise Fire grows to 25,000 acres
Liz Asay took a photo of the Sunrise Fire burning near her home in the Tarkio area. The fire has consumed more than 25,000 acres and is 70 percent contained. (Photo by Liz Asay)
Type I National Incident Management Team under Commander Beth Lund took over operations of the Sunrise and Burdette Fires burning east of Superior last week. (Photo courtesy of the Lolo National Forest)
Blaze reaches Trout Creek
By KATHLEEN WOODFORD
Mineral Independent
A new Type I National Incident Management Team joined the fight against the Sunrise Fire last week, which had grown to nearly 25,000 acres by Sunday, Aug. 20. Incident Commander Beth Lund, spoke to community members during a public meeting at the Lozeau Lodge on Saturday evening, along with other key firefighting personnel.
The fire is 35 percent contained with the southwest and west areas remaining the most active. Located 11 miles east of Superior, the Sunrise Fire has been burning since July 16 in difficult terrain. The fire had reached Trout Creek by Sunday with threats to structures and long-range spotting as gusty southwest winds had the potential to cross the Clark Fork River and Interstate 90. This would also impact Montana Rail Link, and transmission lines. Late last week helicopters hit the north side of the Trout Creek drainage with more than 100,000 gallons of retardant to pretreat fuels.
The fire is also moving along the ridges and is slowly becoming established on north slopes. Firefighters are mopping up and securing areas around homes from Quartz Creek to Verde Creek according to Lolo National Forest incident reports. The area around the fire is closed from Cedar Creek south to Forest Service Road 341. Crews will also be conducting burnouts along control lines to direct the main fire away from communities.
Air quality in the area is reported to be moderate to unhealthy. Lower wind speeds will keep the smoke closer to the ground and drivers along the interstate are to be aware of smoke which may pool in valleys along the roadways. Early in the week of Aug. 20, a high-pressure system will build over the fire area where lighter winds and warmer temperatures will arrive. Later in the week, a cold front is reported with a chance of rain.
Meanwhile, the Burdette Fire burning 13 miles southeast of Tarkio was 70 percent contained as of Aug. 18. It has burned 650 acres and was reported to have minimal fire activity. The northeast corner of the blaze remained uncontrolled and was being monitored by air attack. No ground crews were assigned with potential fire movement significantly decreased. Costs for both fires have topped nearly $22 million.