Firefighters battle several lightning-caused blazes in Western Montana

Firefighters in Western Montana have been busy since last Wednesday battling several blazes which 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 took command of several wildfires located in both districts last 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.”

The most recent reported fire was on Henry Creek. The call came in around noon Sunday and it is listed at 100 acres Monday. Helicopters and a plane dropped water and retardant on the fire.

Sunday evening, fire officials from the Type 1 team hosted a question and answer session in Superior.

Northern Rockies Incident Management Team 1 Commander Mike Goicoechea and Operations Sections Chief Andy Huntsberger both said it's the earliest beginning to fire season they've seen in their lengthy careers.

"For the Northern Rockies, which includes Montana, Idaho and North Dakota, we're at Level 5 on the preparedness scale and it's the earliest I've seen it in my career," Goicoechea said. "In the Northern Rockies, fire season usually begins in late July and ramps up in August."

Huntsberger's remarks were similar and he also offered a warning.

"I can honestly say in my lifetime, we've never had this kind of fire scenario this early in July and we're going to have some challenging days, weeks and months ahead of us."

Brian Anderson, a fire behavior analyst with the team said Thursday could be the next big day for rapid fire growth due to higher temperatures, low humidity and wind.

"Monday through Wednesday will be hot and dry, but Thursday could be our next big day," he said.

Officials offered reports on the larger fires burning in both ranger districts.

According to Huntsberger, the Sunset Fire, which was eight miles south of St. Regis and located up on the Dry Creek Divide, had burned 17 acres and crews were doing mop-up on it. He said it was in good shape and officials hoped it would be wrapped up soon so firefighters could move to other fires in the area.

The Deep Lookout Mountain Fire was reported last Wednesday and was very active with tree torching, short-term sustained crown runs, torching and wind-driven spotting to the east as it marched through a lot of dead fuels.

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.

No structures threatened at this time. Stark Divide Trails were closed, including Trails 50/51/52.

Huntsberger said the fire, which is in the upper reaches of the Deep Creek Drainage, north of Interstate 90, 12 miles east of Superior, and five miles west of Stark Mountain Lookout, was probably at 300 acres as of Sunday night. It had moved into the 9 Mile District.

"People are working very hard on that fire, but Mother Nature usually tells us who is in control and that is the case with this fire," he said.

Planes and helicopters were shared between 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 activity. 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.

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

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 with the two largest the Winniemuck and Thorne fires.

The Thorne Creek and Winniemuck fires are burning a half a mile apart from each other. These fires are located in steep, rugged terrain, in heavy dead, downed fuels in the Cube Iron/Silcox area. Smoke will be visible from these fires and, at times, could be significant.

Huntsberger said the two fires were likely at 1,000 acres as of Sunday night, but due to the steep and rocky terrain they were burning in and the fact that they were not near any valued resources yet, officials were still looking at more favorable conditions to keep it contained.

Firefighters engaged a cluster of four fires located near the cutoff road area (Montana 135), near Quinn’s Hot Springs. These fires ranged in size from 1 to 5 acres and have been controlled.

Quinn’s Hot Springs was 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 last Wednesday.

Crews planned to continue suppression operations on the following fires:

• Siegel Fire: Located 3-4 miles up the Siegel drainage northeast of 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.

Huntsberger said the Sheep Creek blaze was in mop up status, but he said he just felt "OK" about the Siegel Fire.

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

• 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 last 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.